General Court annuls Belarus restrictive measures against Belarusian businessman for lack of sufficient evidence

The General Court annulled restrictive measures imposed by the Council of the European Union against Viktor Arkadievich Chevtsov, a Belarusian businessman residing in Budapest, in case T-528/24. The Court found that the Council had failed to substantiate to the requisite legal standard the reasons relied on to justify both the initial listing and the subsequent maintenance of the applicant’s name on the lists of persons subject to asset freezes and travel bans under the Belarus sanctions regime.

The restrictive measures against the applicant were first imposed by Council acts of 26 July 2024 and subsequently maintained by acts of 24 February 2025. The initial listing was based on the applicant’s alleged indirect benefit from a Sta