A total of 76 French residents with Russian or “Slavic-sounding” names have filed a complaint against a number of banks in France, alleging discrimination on account of national origin after getting caught up in the enforcement of anti-Russian sanctions.
Individuals with no ties to the Russian government found their bank accounts blocked and even long-time residents were caught in a net one attorney described as “Kafkaesque,” the newspaper Le Figaro reported.
Under the EU embargo rules enacted since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February, banks were prohibited from accepting deposits of over 100,000 euros from Russian nationals. The intent was to crack down on “oligarchs” and tycoons allegedly close to the government in Moscow. Yet in their zeal to enforce the sanctions, the banks have frozen accounts of ordinary French residents over far smaller amounts, say the attorneys with Cartier-Meyniel-Schneller, the law firm representing the plaintiffs. Other discriminatory actions involved declining loan applications and refusing to open or close bank accounts.
“We are not talking about the owners of yachts or villas on the Cote d’Azur,” Marie-Laure Cartier told Le Figaro, showing the complaint that listed students, doctors, and shopkeepers caught under the enforcement hammer.