“Honestly, apart from a yacht I believe seized in La Ciotat, not much has happened”lamented the deputy La France Insoumise, Alexis Corbière, interviewed on Wednesday March 9 on franceinfo.
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According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, five Russian boats were either “frozen” or seized. In detail, these are four commercial boats located in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Lorient, Saint-Malo and Fos-sur-Mer, and a pleasure boat corresponding to the La Ciotat yacht mentioned by Alexis Corbière. . However, it is impossible to say that these are the only Russian properties affected by France because Bercy refuses at this stage to communicate more on this point. Of the more than 800 Russian personalities listed by Europe and targeted by sanctions, the Ministry of the Economy does not communicate the part which would have assets on French territory.
Assets seized or “frozen”
An important nuance, however. Of the five boats targeted by France, only two have been seized, the others are simply “frozen”. A frozen boat means that it is immobilized. Its owner cannot enjoy it as he wants, but he will get it back when the sanction is lifted. The seizure is more severe. Not only is the property immobilized, but if the courts so decide, the State could even become its new owner one day.
To date, the yacht and the cargo ship that have been seized have been seized because they have been found to be in violation. They were frozen and therefore had to remain immobilized, but they tried to leave and therefore outlawed themselves. The customs were therefore able to seize.
But France would like all frozen assets to be able to be transformed into seized assets. The current legal framework does not seem to allow this. The Ministries of Economy and Justice are discussing at the moment to try to find a procedure that would make this possible.