The Court of Justice of the European Union has rejected the second claim of Alexander Vinokurov, son-in-law of Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. He asked to lift sanctions against him. The decision was made on January 29, 2025.
Vinokurov asked to cancel decisions of the Council of the EU 2023/1767 from September 13, 23 and 24/847 from March 12. These decisions extended sanctions against the businessman by the EU.
He is a graduate of Cambridge University and president of Marathon Group investment company. He is also a shareholder and board member of Magnit retail chain.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Alexander Vinokurov in 2022, justifying them by saying that he “is a Russian businessman with business interests in food retailing, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and infrastructure. He holds senior positions at Marathon Group investment company and Magnit, Russia’s largest grocery retailer. He is married to Ekaterina Sergeevna Vinokurova, the daughter of Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and his father, Semyon Vinokurov, heads the State Unitary Enterprise Stolichnye Apteki, which is considered one of the leading enterprises in the pharmaceutical industry in Russia. Thus, he has close ties with the government and is involved in economic sectors which represent a significant source of revenue for the government of the Russian federation.”
Alexander Vinokurov filed two claims in EU courts demanding the removal of sanctions.
His first claim was rejected in the summer of 2019. a decision dated January 29, 2025, the court refused to lift Vinokurov’s sanctions. The court noted that Vinokurov indirectly owns 29.2% of Magnit shares through Marathon Group. Additionally, 66.7% of the company’s capital is free-floating, meaning that Vinokurov indirectly owns a significant part of Magnit.
