In Kyiv, where war has been the only topic for over a year now as the regime inside the Kremlin continues its military campaign against Ukraine, a petition has been delivered to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to review the sanctions against Parimatch.
The petition has over 25,000 signatures, the required minimum to bring the issue to the President, which it garnered 14 days early. Now, Zelenskyy has 10 days to decide whether or not to act in the case against the banned gambling company.
Parimatch was banned from operating in Ukraine for 50 years following an investigation that found it was doing business in Russia.
The company has strongly denied the claims and alleges that it ended its association with Russia in March 2022, shortly after the war began.
Maxym Liashko, Managing Partner of Energame, Parimatch’s management company, said of the petition: “We are Ukrainian patriots. Our fellow countrymen and countrywomen unequivocally agree with that. We have supported our country against Russia’s full-scale invasion from the first day and immediately moved to terminate any remaining legacy business in the aggressor country.
“We are confident that Ukraine is on an irreversible road to becoming a democratic European nation where people can live and do business freely while enjoying the full protection of the law. We trust that our President, a champion of the rule of law and liberal democratic values, will do the right thing and order a review of the unjust sanctions that were imposed on us in a flawed and unfair process.
“We all agree that it is the right and the duty of Ukrainian authorities to sanction entities or individuals that seek to undermine the country. Sanctions are a powerful tool in the fight against the invaders and their supporters. However, mistakes are sometimes made, as happened in the case of Parimatch. A robust review and appeal system is, therefore, an essential part of any sanctions regime.”
