The company consistently adheres to Ukrainian legal norms and protects the interests of Ukrainians who supported the petition for lifting the sanctions against it.
First of all, Parimatch is a Ukrainian company. We believe in Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the Parimatch Group of companies are unjustified and present a direct [and terrible] violation of the law of Ukraine «On Sanctions» (hereinafter – Sanctions Law).
According to the Supreme Court, sanctions are “exceptional, temporary, extreme, and necessary (not accidental) measures”, applied only on the grounds provided in the Sanctions Law. Such grounds must be valid, supported by evidence, and reliably prove the commission of only those actions indicated in Article 3 of the Sanctions Law, namely:
1) Actions of foreign states, foreign legal entities or individuals, or other entities that create real and/or potential threats to national interests, national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, contribute to terrorist activities and/or violate human and civil rights social and state interests, lead to the occupation of territory, expropriation or restriction of property rights, inflict property losses, create deter sustainable economic development, and full realization rights and freedoms by Ukrainian citizens.
2) Resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council of the United Nations.
3) Decisions and regulations of the European Union Council.
4) Facts of violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter.
In the decision of the National Security Council and the corresponding decree of the President of Ukraine, there is no basis for applying sanctions to the Parimatch Group of companies in accordance with Article 3 of the Sanctions Law.
The Parimatch group of companies has never created any actual or potential threat to national interests, national security, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine or any other state. The Parimatch group of companies has not supported terrorist activities, violated human rights, or harmed the interests of Ukrainian society and the state. It is unreasonable to assume that the legitimate actions of the Parimatch group of companies are associated with the occupation of territory, expropriation or restriction of property rights, loss of property, creation of obstacles to sustainable economic development, or impediment to the exercise of rights and freedoms by citizens of Ukraine.
Also, there are no decisions by the United Nations, the European Union, or any other international organization or institution that impose sanctions on the Parimatch group of companies or in any way question its legitimate activities. It is equally absurd to suggest that the Parimatch group of companies violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the Charter of the United Nations.
Media reports suggest that sanctions were supposedly imposed on the Parimatch group of companies due to its associations with the russian federation. However, these bits of gossip have no premise in truth. Parimatch has no connection at all to the russian federation.
Firstly, there are no citizens or legitimate entities of the russian federation who directly or by implication own a share within the Parimatch group or have impact over the group’s operations. In addition, Ukrainian companies inside Parimatch have owned licenses for organizing and conducting gambling activities in Ukraine all through the complete period and were therefore under the close supervision of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries. As the Commission checks for the presence of beneficial owners or shareholders who are citizens or residents of the aggressor state, the Commission’s strict oversight in itself affirms that there are no citizens or residents of the russian federation in Parimatch’s ownership structure.
Besides, Parimatch has no operations in russia, receives no revenue from russia, nor pays for any services from russian companies. Immediately following the March 2022 full scale invasion, Parimatch terminated even the limited legacy cooperation with russian companies it had at the time, which was insignificant and limited to specialized help. This was completely unveiled and freely reported at the time.