US judge rejects Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska’s lawsuit against US sanctions

According to a recent report, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s lawsuit against the United States over sanctions imposed on the billionaire has been dismissed by a US judge. The latter reasoned that Deripaska’s claims against Washington’s actions lacked merit.

Oleg Deripaska’s global aluminium empire also included Aughinish Alumina. However, in 2018, the Russian billionaire gave up the control over his prized empire expecting the United States to lift restrictions.

Washington has lifted sanctions on Mr Deripaska’s two main companies -Rusal and En+Group, but Mr Deripaska himself remains blacklisted by OFAC whose sanctions regime has grown.

US District Court Judge Amit Mehta wrote on Sunday night that Mr Deripaska failed to make an eloquent case against the US Treasury Department and its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

“Deripaska asks this court to second guess OFAC where its expertise, and thus its authority, is at its zenith,” Mr Mehta said in a 34-page decision. “The court declines to do so.”

Mr Deripaska commented against the judgment, saying the decision was absurd. He added that Mr Mehta “ignored the essence of the case, which is that the sanctions unfairly imposed on me and my companies led to destructive consequences for hundreds of thousands (of) people.”