EU General Court Annuls 1 Venezuelan Sanctions Listing, Dismisses Challenges of 8 Others

The EU General Court annulled the sanctions listing of Xavier Antonio Moreno Reyes, the secretary general of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela, in a July 14 ruling. The court dropped the sanctions designation after finding that the European Council had not established that the reasons for his listing were "well founded." The sanctions listing was not well-founded since the council did not show that Moreno Reyes approved the decisions of the National Electoral Council.

The court also dismissed eight challenges of Venezuelan sanctions listings on seven officials, finding that the listed parties undermined democracy in Venezuela. The seven still-listed individuals are Antonio Jose Benavides Torres, former chief of the Capital District Government of Venezuela who filed two challenges; Socorro Elizabeth Hernandez Hernandez, National Electoral Board member; Sandra Oblitas Ruzza, vice president of the National Electoral Council; Katherine Nayarith Harrington Padron, deputy prosecutor general of Venezuela; Tarek William Saab Halabi, attorney general of Venezuela; Diosdado Cabello Rondon, former member of the Venezuelan National Constituent Assembly; and Tibisay Lucena Ramirez, president of the National Electoral Council.