Businessmen Chyzh, Peftsieu,Tarnauski to be crossed out of EU's black list?

The European Union is preparing "the shortening of the list of regime's representatives under the travel ban", "official business-oligarchs being the first in the line", informs the Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD) Co-Chairman Vital Rymasheuski, and adds that he got this information directly from Brussels.

"The regime's lobbyers in the West have raised the issue of crossing the Belarusian oligarchs out of the travel banned list for several months or even a year. This issue will be reconsidered soon, I know this for sure," Rymasheuski says.

At present, there are three "regime's helpers" who may be called official business-oligarchs on the EU black list - owner of "Beltehexport" and a number of other companies Uladzimir Peftsieu, General Director of "Triple" Yury Chyzh and owner of oil and construction companies Anatol Tarnauski. It seems unlikely that these people suffer from impossibility to visit the Akropolis store in Vilnius or have a fresh croissant in a cafe in Paris. They probably feel more inconveniences about the fact that the EU member states simultaneously froze the active of the companies that are registered at the territory of the EU countries and remain under control of Peftsieu, Chyzh and Tarnauski. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise that Uladzimir Peftsieu sued the Council of the EU right after adoption of the "black list" - two years ago.

Director of the Brussels "Office for Democratic Belarus" Volha Stuzhynskaya confirms that there are rumours about the black list shortening behind the scenes. She says that these are only rumours - there is no official information about the possible "pardon" of the Belarusian oligarchs. Stuzhynskaya also thinks that the reason for appearance of such rumours is the recent story with the Saudi businessman Yasin Kadi. After the terrorist acts on September 11, 2001 he was included into the "anti-terrorist" list as a person who could finance the Al-Qaeda assailants. However, Kadi managed to prove to the European Court on July 22 that his connections with Al-Qaeda were no more than fantasies of the EU and the US officials. Thus, he was crossed out of the list.

It seems logical that Peftsieu, Chyzh and Tarnauski could follow the steps of their Saudi colleague. Vital Rymasheuski mentioned the court way of being excluded from the black list. He claims that the issue will be solved very soon.

"Their cases are under consideration. I think the decision will be taken within one or two months."

Euroradio has found out that the case of one of the "official business-oligarchs" is indeed under consideration in the EU Court of Justice. This is Uladzimir Peftsieu. However, it wasn't him in person who addressed to the Court, but the government of Lithuania, namely, the Chief administrative Court of Lithuania. The Lithuanians try to appeal the process won by Peftsieu through the European instances. A year ago, the Belarusian businessman proved to the Vilnius district administrative court that his actives were frozen for no grounds. Now, the Lithuanian MFA is trying to save the face with the help of the EU Court. The date of hearings on the case is unknown yet, but if Peftsieu wins this trial as well, his "allies in need" can boldly follow his steps.