The legal proceedings before the Administrative Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court regarding Petro Poroshenko’s lawsuit to overturn sanctions imposed by a decree of the President of Ukraine are entering their final stage. 

The EU press service reported this following today’s hearing.

According to attorney Ihor Golovan, the court has already reviewed most of the materials, and only a few dozen pages remain to be considered. Attorney Ilya Novikov expects that a decision may be handed down early next year.

Petro Poroshenko, as the author of Ukraine’s “Sanctions Act,” insists that restrictive measures cannot be applied to Ukrainian citizens residing in territory controlled by the state. 

The court examined the transcript of the Verkhovna Rada session during which this law was adopted, which, according to the plaintiff’s side, confirms precisely this interpretation. 

Poroshenko believes that sanctions against him as a citizen of Ukraine constitute a gross violation of the Constitution and the principle of the rule of law.

The politician emphasizes that the law explicitly defines the scope of entities to which sanctions may be applied: foreign states, foreign legal entities, legal entities under the control of foreign entities, as well as non-resident individuals, foreigners, and stateless persons. 

According to him, even in the case of individuals who are permanently residing in the occupied territory, the Security Service of Ukraine would have to prove their non-resident status and the high risk of them acquiring citizenship of another state. 

He described the imposition of sanctions against a Ukrainian citizen as an “extrajudicial, unlawful, and unconstitutional act” on the part of the incumbent president.

Ihor Holovan emphasized that the imposition of sanctions against Poroshenko has harmed not only his rights but also Ukraine’s international standing and the practical assistance that the leader of “European Solidarity” provides to the Armed Forces. 

In his view, the decree on sanctions must be repealed as it contradicts the Constitution and the principle of the rule of law. 

Golovan warns that ignoring this principle threatens Ukraine’s European prospects, as the rule of law is one of the key requirements for EU accession.

As a reminder, Poroshenko believes that Svyrydenko was appointed prime minister as a reward for imposing sanctions against him.

Poroshenko also declared a donation of one million dollars in Turkey, which he gave to children.