Mohammad Makhlouf loses challenge to EU Syria sanctions

Mohammad Makhlouf has lost his application for the General Court of the European Union to annul his listing on the EU’s Syria sanctions.  A link to the judgment in Case T-509/11 Mohammad Makhlouf v Council is here (available only in French).

Mr Makhlouf was included in the EU’s restrictive measures against Syria in 2011 because he is the uncle of Syrian President Bashar Bashar Al-Assad, and a business associate and father of Rami, Ihab and Iyad Makhlouf.  He challenged the Council of the EU for not respecting his fundamental rights, rights of defence and judicial review, the duty to give reasons, and for making an error of assessment.  The Court rejected all these arguments, holding in particular that being a close family member of the President of Syria is sufficient for Mr Makhlouf to be considered to be an “associate” of the Syrian regime, and that the evidence was uncontested that he provided the regime with economic support.