Mother of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin wins appeal over EU sanctions against her, Financial Times writes. Sanctions against 83-year-old Violetta Prigozhina, as well as against the wife, son and eldest daughter of the leader of the Wagner group, were imposed last year.. Brussels has two months to appeal the European Court's decision.

In their appeal, Prigozhina's lawyers argued that although she owned shares in companies controlled by her son between 2011 and 2017, she did not play any direct role in their business operations..

“The connection between Prigozhina and her son, established during the adoption of the contested acts, is based solely on their family relations and, therefore, is not sufficient to justify her inclusion in the contested lists,” the decision of the European Court says..

In an appeal filed in April last year, Violetta Prigozhina denied her son’s connection to the Wagner Group and argued that in any case, it was impossible to legally conclude from connections with her son that it was she who could have contributed to the compromise of territorial integrity.. Ukraine.

According to FT sources, Prigozhina helped her son pass an anti-money laundering check to become a client of a British law firm in 2021 by providing them with a Russian gas bill in her name.. Russian lawyers for Prigozhin, who was under Western sanctions at the time and on the FBI's most wanted list, said Prigozhin paid utility bills for their shared address in St. Petersburg with her son, meaning the document could have been used to verify identity..

Violetta Prigozhina, 83,'s successful appeal against the EU Council raises the prospect that other sanctioned family members of figures close to the Kremlin will be able to lift Western sanctions..

According to the source of the publication, Brussels has three options: remove Prigozhina from the list, appeal the decision or restore sanctions against her with a different set of evidence..

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The European Union has imposed sanctions on Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is called " Lost an appeal against EU sanctions last year.