EU Weighs Prosecutor to Catch Russian Sanctions Evaders

  • Idea to extend EPPO powers still in very initial stages
  • Possible move follows plan to make sanctions evasion a crime

Didier Reynders

Photographer: John Thys/AFP/Getty Images
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The European Union is weighing handing new powers to its fledgling public prosecutor’s office amid concerns the bloc’s current system is failing to rein in rich Russians trying to evade sanctions.

New powers for the Luxembourg-based European Public Prosecutor’s Office would be conditional on separate plans to make sanctions evasion a crime under EU law, according to people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential.