Lukashenka's bagman gets off EU blacklist: New wave of thaw in relations with Belarus?


The EU Court in Luxembourg Tuesday annulled asset freeze measures imposed in 2012 on Yury Chyzh, a Belarusian tycoon, and two of his firms, Triple and Dynamo Minsk, Belgian e-zine EUobserver reports.

According to EUobserver, the EU Council ‘provided no evidence’ that Chyzh financially supported Belarus’ authoritarian rulers in return for business concessions.

Mr Chyzh is in the top positions in the ‘Ranking of the most successful and influential businessmen in Belarus’ by Internet portal ej.by. According to estimates, he is the second-wealthiest businessman in Belarus. He is believed to be a close and loyal friend of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. In 2012 the European Union introduced the visa restrictions on Yury Chyzh and targeted sanctions against his companies.

In July 2015, the Council of the European Union decided to exclude 24 Belarusian citizens from the list of persons regarding whom sanctions apply, including Natallia Pyatkevich (former aide to the Belarusian president), Leanid Maltsau (chairman of the State Border Committee), Henadz Nyavyglas (former presidential administration head), Anatol Rubinau (former chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly), etc.

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