Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that there are currently no grounds for imposing personal sanctions on Andriy Portnov, former Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Viktor Yanukovych. The statement was made in the context of a petition that was submitted with a request to submit proposals for the National Security and Defense Council to consider imposing sanctions on Portnov.
The response to the petition, which was received by the Ministry of Economy, notes that the submitted materials do not contain sufficient grounds for the application of sanctions in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. In particular, the Ministry of Economy concluded that the sanctions imposed by the United States of America on Portnov cannot serve as a specific basis for restrictive measures in Ukraine. The document also emphasizes that at the moment no evidence of Portnov's terrorist activities or other actions that would require the imposition of sanctions has been provided.
The petition, signed by citizens, highlighted Portnov's involvement in an attempt to control the Ukrainian judiciary during his tenure as Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration under Yanukovych. It was noted that Portnov tried to appoint loyal officials to key positions in the judiciary and influenced legislative processes. In particular, it was about his activities in 2019, when he allegedly colluded with high-ranking officials to influence the Constitutional Court and the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.
Despite these statements, as a result of the inspection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the Bureau of Economic Security, NABU, and SBU did not provide evidence that would confirm the need to apply sanctions or any other legal response.
