General Court upholds sanctions against Serbian businessman and politician for Belarus ties: Karić v Council

The General Court of the European Union ruled today in Case  Karić v Council (T-520/22), rejecting Serbian businessman and politician Bogoljub Karić’s challenge to the EU sanctions imposed on him. Karić sought to annul several restrictive EU measures that froze his funds and restricted his movement, arguing these sanctions were unjustified. These sanctions were initially enacted in response to Belarus's ongoing human rights abuses, its support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and Karić’s alleged support of the Lukashenko regime. The court found the evidence sufficient to uphold the sanctions.

The General Court reviewed evidence that Karić, through close ties with Belarusian authorities, benefitted from preferential treatme