Judgment of the General Court of 20 March 2013 - Bank Saderat v Council
(Case T-495/10)
(Common foreign and security policy - Restrictive measures against Iran with the aim of preventing nuclear proliferation - Freezing of funds - Entity wholly owned by an entity identified as being involved in nuclear proliferation - Plea of illegality - Obligation to state reasons - Rights of the defence - Right to effective judicial protection)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: Bank Saderat plc (London, United Kingdom) (represented: initially by S. Gadhia and S. Ashley, Solicitors, D. Anderson QC and R. Blakeley, Barrister, and subsequently by Ashley, S. Jeffrey and A. Irvine, solicitors, D. Wyatt QC and Blakeley)
Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: M. Bishop and R. Liudvinaviciute-Cordeiro, Agents)
Intervener in support of the defendant: European Commission (represented by: S. Boelaert and M. Konstantinidis, Agents)
Re:
Application for annulment of Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP of 26 July 2010 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Common Position 2007/140/CFSP (OJ 2010 L 195, p. 39), Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2010 of 26 July 2010 implementing Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 423/2007 concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2010 L 195, p. 25), Council Decision 2010/644/CFSP of 25 October 2010 amending Decision 2010/413 (OJ 2010 L 281, p. 81), Council Regulation (EU) No 961/2010 of 25 October 2010 on restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation (EC) No 423/2007 (OJ 2010 L 281, p. 1), Council Decision 2011/783/CFSP of 1 December 2011 amending Decision 2010/413 (OJ 2011 L 319, p. 71), Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1245/2011 of 1 December 2011 implementing Regulation No 961/2010 (OJ 2011 L 319, p. 11) and Council Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 of 23 March 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation No 961/2010 (OJ 2012 L 88, p. 1) in so far as those measures concern the applicant and, further, an application for a declaration of the inapplicability to the applicant of Article 7(2)(d) of Council Regulation (EC) No 423/2007 of 19 April 2007 concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2007 L 103, p. 1), Article 16(2)(a) of Regulation No 961/2010 and Article 23(2) of Regulation No 267/2012
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Annuls the following measures in so far as they concern Bank Saderat plc:
point 7 of Table B of Annex II to Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP of 26 July 2010 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Common Position 2007/140/CFSP;
point 5 of Table B of the Annex to Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2010 of 26 July 2010 implementing Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 423/2007 concerning restrictive measures against Iran;
point 7 of Table I.B of the Annex to Council Decision 2010/644/CFSP of 25 October 2010 amending Decision 2010/413;
point 7 of Table B of Annex VIII to Council Regulation (EU) No 961/2010 of 25 October 2010 on restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation No 423/2007.
Orders the effects of annulment of Decision 2010/413 and Decision 2010/644 to be limited to the period preceding the entry into force of Council Decision 2011/783/CFSP of 1 December 2011 amending Decision 2010/413.
Declares that there is no need to adjudicate on the claim by Bank Saderat that Regulation No 961/2010 and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1245/2011 of 1 December 2011, implementing Regulation No 961/2010, should be annulled with immediate effect.
Dismisses the action as to the remainder.
Orders each party to bear its own costs.
____________1 - OJ C 328, 4.12.2010.