Judgment of the General Court of 30 April 2015 — Al-Chihabi v Council
(Case T-593/11) 1
(Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Syria — Freezing of funds — Rights of the defence — Obligation to state reasons — Error of assessment — Right to property — Right to respect for private life — Proportionality)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: Fares Al-Chihabi (Aleppo, Syria) (represented initially by L. Ruessmann and W. Berg, lawyers, and subsequently by L. Ruessmann and J. Beck, Solicitor)
Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: M. Bishop and R. Liudvinaviciute-Cordeiro, acting as Agents)
Intervener in support of the defendant: European Commission (represented initially by S. Boelaert and T. Scharf, and subsequently by T. Scharf and M. Konstantinidis, acting as Agents)
Re:
Application for annulment of Council Decision 2011/522/CFSP of 2 September 2011 amending Decision 2011/273/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Syria (OJ 2011 L 228, p. 16), Council Regulation (EU) No 878/2011 of 2 September 2011 amending Regulation (EU) No 442/2011 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria (OJ 2011 L 228, p. 1), Council Decision 2011/782/CFSP of 1 December 2011 concerning restrictive measures against Syria and repealing Decision 2011/273 (OJ 2011 L 319, p. 56), Council Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 of 18 January 2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria and repealing Regulation No 442/2011 (OJ 2012 L 16, p. 1), Council Decision 2012/739/CFSP of 29 November 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Syria and repealing Decision 2011/782 (OJ 2012 L 330, p. 21), Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1117/2012 of 29 November 2012 implementing Article 32(1) of Regulation No 36/2012 (OJ 2012 L 330, p. 9), Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 363/2013 of 22 April 2013 implementing Regulation No 36/2012 (OJ 2013 L 111, p. 1), and Council Decision 2013/255/CFSP of 31 May 2013 concerning restrictive measures against Syria (OJ 2013 L 147, p. 14), and any subsequent legislation to the extent that it maintains or replaces those acts in so far as those acts concern the applicant.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Mr Fares Al-Chihabi to bear his own costs and to pay those incurred by the Council of the European Union;
Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs.
________________________1 OJ C 25, 28.1.2012.