EU freezes assets of ousted Ukraine leader and 17 others

Brussels: The European Union on Thursday froze the assets of ousted Ukraine leader Viktor Yanukovych, ex-premier Mykola Azarov and 16 former ministers, businessmen and security chiefs, all on grounds of fraud.

All 18 listed in the EU's Official Journal were targeted as people "subject to criminal proceedings in Ukraine to investigate crimes in connection with the embezzlement of Ukrainian state funds and their illegal transfer outside Ukraine."

Among them were two of Yanukovych's sons, businessman Oleksandr, a dentist who used his father's power to build a fortune estimated at $500 million, and parliamentarian Viktor junior, as well as Azarov's son Oleksii.

Former ministers of internal affairs, education and health were also on the list along with onetime justice minister Olena Lukash. The deposed president's former chief of staff Andrii Kliuiev as well as his brother Serhii were targeted, as was former security services chief and businessman Sergey Kurchenko.

The sanctions, which will apply for an initial 12 months, aim to enable Ukraine's new authorities to recover the frozen funds. Swiss authorities had already ordered a freeze on the assets of both Yanukovych and the multi-millionaire Oleksandr, as well as 18 other former ministers and officials from Ukraine.

Liechtenstein has also frozen the bank accounts of the same officials, while Austria has announced moves against 18 Ukrainian officials suspected of violating human rights and involvement in corruption.

The EU's foreign ministers had already decided on February 20 to apply sanctions to any Ukrainian officials deemed responsible for violence against protesters in the period leading up to Yanukovych's ouster two days later.

But at emergency talks this week, the same ministers agreed "to swiftly work on the adoption of restrictive measures for the freezing and recovery of assets of persons identified as responsible for the misappropriation of state funds."