For lawyer Olivier Dorgans invited to franceinfo, there have “never” been “such strong sanctions […] against a country which has the economic power of Russia”. Sanctions which deprive Russia “of its possibilities of safeguarding and it is the best way to stifle a country economically”.
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“The sanctions that have been adopted by three successive waves over the last ten days [contre la Russie] are of an unprecedented scale and nature., declares Tuesday, March 1 in the afternoon Olivier Dorgans, lawyer specializing in economic sanctions, guest of franceinfo. On the morning of March 1, Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy and Finance, promised on franceinfo that France was going “wage total economic and financial war on Russia”.
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These penalties, “It’s unheard of against an economic power like Russia”assures Olivier Dorgans, who recalls that“we have had sanctions that are just as strong, even in certain aspects stronger, for example against North Korea or Iran, but never against a country which has the economic power of Russia”. The lawyer specializing in economic sanctions warns that to see the effectiveness of these sanctions, “it’s gonna take a little time“since, he says, “the economic sanctions are part of a certain duration”.
Asked about the strength of these sanctions, Olivier Dorgans cites those affecting the Central Bank of Russia. He believes that they are the strongest of the “package”. “La Central Bank of Russia had capitalized and prepared for these sanctions by mobilizing and storing a number of currency and gold reserves, and what the Europeans have just done, which is quite brave, is to prevent the Central Bank of Russia from to use its reserves internationally, in Western markets.” In short, summarizes the lawyer, “it deprives it of its possibilities of safeguarding and it is the best way to suffocate a country economically”.
On franceinfo, Bruno Le Maire said he wanted “aim at the oligarchs” russianbut for Olivier Dorgans, “we are more on the order of the symbol here”.
The lawyer explains that “the freezing of assets does not make it possible to dispose of property, it makes it possible to come and seize boats, real estate, but these assets, the French State or the member countries of the EU cannot sell them: it is more something that is going to harm the ability of these oligarchs to come and enjoy their lives.” The end goal, concludes Oliver Dorgans, is that, through their displeasure, these oligarchs “come to put pressure on Vladimir Putin”.