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VIENNA, June 21 (Reuters) – Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash denies allegations behind his home country’s decision to impose sanctions on him for selling titanium products that Kiev says end up being used by military companies Russians, one of his lawyers said on Monday.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, which coordinates security policy, announced the decision on Friday, adding that the details would be announced separately in a presidential decree. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pledged measures to reduce the influence of the oligarchs over Ukraine.
“Mr. Firtash was not given advance notice and was not given the opportunity to challenge the allegations before the Security Council,” US lawyer Lanny Davis said in a statement.
“Since the decision of the Security Council has not been served, we will refrain from commenting, except to state that Mr. Firtash categorically denies the allegations, which he considers false.”
Firtash became a wealthy and influential businessman in Ukraine. He was indicted in the United States for corruption and racketeering. He denies committing wrongdoing and fought extradition from Vienna.
Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and support for separatist forces in the eastern Donbass region in a conflict which Kiev said left 14,000 dead. (Report by François Murphy Editing by Kevin Liffey and Peter Graff)
Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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