Russian businessman Abramov sues the Australian Foreign Office over sanctions

Australia against Abramov caused serious damage to the reputation of the businessman, and also led to financial losses,his lawyer saidAlexander Abramov

Russian businessman Alexander Abramov, Roman Abramovich's partner in mining and metals holding Evraz, has filed a lawsuit against Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, AAP reported.

Abramov demands to remove sanctions from him. According to lawyer Ron Merkel, they caused serious damage to the businessman's reputation and also led to financial losses. In addition, restrictive measures also affected Abramov's activities in New Zealand, he added.

Merkel noted that only Australia has imposed such sanctions against a businessman. The case will be unusual, he said, as the lawsuit will include public statements by the minister.

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The Australian Foreign Office imposed sanctions on Abramov along with a number of other Russian businessmen in April. They provide for an entry ban and asset freezes.

At that time, the head of the Australian Foreign Office was Maris Payne (she resigned in May, and Penny Wong took her post). She said the sanctions were being imposed against "oligarchs close to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, facilitating and supporting his outrageous actions," ABC reports.

Abramov's defense insists that the businessman "does not belong to the category of persons with the necessary influence." “He is not one of those who provided assistance to the Russian authorities in terms of advancing Russia's military goals. In fact, he is a private individual who lives outside of Russia and conducts business, and he should not be the target of the Australian authorities,” Stuart Levitt, the businessman’s lawyer, told The Guardian.

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As of August 5, Forbes estimates Abramov's fortune at $6.4 billion. He owns a 19.32% stake in Evraz. In March, the businessman left the post of chairman of the board of directors of the company.

The Kremlin has repeatedly condemned sanctions against Russian businessmen. “What the collective West is doing against them cannot be called anything other than banditry at the international level,” said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the president. According to him, these sanctions speak of the “collapse of the ‘sanctity’ of private property and private business” in Western countries and show that doing business there has become dangerous.