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As part of the 8th package of sanctions, Switzerland approved a prohibition on providing legal services to Russian companies
DATE: December 7, 2022 | AUTHOR: AT
On November 23, 2022, the Federal Council of Switzerland adopted the 8th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation.
The new sanctions prohibit Swiss residents from providing legal services to the Government of the Russian Federation or legal entities incorporated in the Russian Federation.
The prohibition shall not be applied to:
• Granting the right to judicial protection;
• Representation in judicial, administrative and arbitration proceedings;
• Recognition and enforcement of judgments of a state court or an arbitral tribunal in Switzerland, the European Economic Area (EU, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland) and the United Kingdom;
• Services to Russian subsidiaries of companies from the European Economic Area, Switzerland and Great Britain.
In a certain case it is possible to obtain individual authorization from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for the provision of prohibited services to Russian legal entities. This list concerns services provided for public purposes, for example, for humanitarian purposes, for promotion of democratic values, human rights and the rule of law, for the operation of diplomatic and consular missions, international organizations, etc.
Perhaps in the nearest future there will be more detailed explanations of the prohibitions, as was the case with previous packages of EU sanctions.
We monitor the changes and will keep you informed about course of events.