Parimatch gets possible Ukrainian reprieve as government orders sanctions review
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agrees to review following 25,000-signature strong petition
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially ordered a review of the decision to place sanctions on companies in the Parimatch group for suspected Russian-funding links.
Zelenskyy instructed the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, along with the Interdepartmental Working Group on Implementation of the State Sanctions Policy, to conduct an independent assessment re-evaluating the sanctions decision.
The review follows the submission of a 25,000-signature strong petition from Parimatch which denies any Russian links.
In March, Zelenskyy moved to sanction 120 individuals and 287 entities after an investigation by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
The sanctions were put in place after the investigation found entities including Parimatch “withdrew funds from our state and financed various Russian schemes”, allegations which the firm has strenuously denied.
These sanctions forced the closure of Parimatch’s Ukrainian operations, leaving staff unpaid and resulting in a freeze on customer funds in accounts, which to date remain inaccessible.
Parimatch has previously revealed it ended third-party licence agreements with Russian entities in March 2022, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In June, the operator asserted its innocence, suggesting the ban was the result of a “flawed and unfair” investigation by the National Security and Defense Council, a line which it reiterated in a statement released following Zelenskyy’s move to have these sanctions reviewed.
“Once again, we emphasise our commitment to fully cooperate with the authorities and provide all the information required by the resulting investigation,” Parimatch said in a statement confirming the parliamentary review.
“Parimatch trusts that the review will result in an eventual cancellation of the decision on sanctions.
“We have no doubt that the cabinet of ministers of Ukraine will react and take all necessary measures to establish justice. We thank all concerned Ukrainians who joined this petition for their trust and continue to defend the truth,” the operator concluded.