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A former Ukrainian government official who insists Canada has unjustly kept him on its sanctions list has failed in his attempt to have the Federal Court order his removal.

Andriy Portnov, a former advisor to ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, was added to Canada’s sanctions list in 2014 after the new Ukrainian government accused Portnov and other officials of having embezzled state funds and transferred them out of the country.

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Portnov, who served as Yanukovych’s advisor from April 2010 to February 2014, has always insisted the accusation is false, and has successfully gotten himself removed from sanctions imposed by the European Union, Switzerland and Norway.

Canada, however, has refused to remove Portnov from sanctions imposed under the Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, despite seven requests sent by Portnov to the governments of both Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau.