Alketbi filed a constitutional complaint regarding Fortenova

Saif Jaffar Suhail Markhan Alketbi filed a constitutional complaint with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia on Monday, requesting a temporary measure to prohibit the disposal of Fortenova Group’s assets in Croatia, reported the office of this Arab investor in the EU.

Alketbi is asking the Constitutional Court to determine the violation of property rights, prevent irreparable damage to his property in Croatia, issue a temporary measure prohibiting the disposal of Fortenova Group’s assets in Croatia, and order the government to take steps to remove the company SBK Art from the list of sanctioned entities.

In the constitutional complaint, Alketbi’s representatives, attorney Sandra Marković and attorney Darko Don Markušić, argue that SBK Art was placed on the list based on speculation and unverified information, that it remains under the influence of Sberbank, which constitutes a serious violation of Alketbi’s property rights, as he has been prevented from managing the assets in his ownership.

– SBK Art, as the largest individual shareholder with 42.51 percent, cannot vote at the general meeting of the parent company STAK when making decisions, including the decision to sell Fortenova MidCo. This situation is potentially de facto expropriation. Alketbi was not informed about the process of listing SBK Art on the sanctions list, nor was he asked for a statement – the statement reads.

The EU sanctions companies and individuals deemed responsible for actions undermining or threatening Ukraine, it is stated.

The statement also notes that Alketbi is a reputable entrepreneur and a UAE citizen, who certainly does not represent a person undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine, and certainly his company SBK Art, whose only asset is a stake in Fortenova Group, does not represent a legal entity providing material or financial support for actions that could potentially undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine.

The complaint also recalls a statement by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Frane Matušić from December 2022, in which he emphasized that Croatia was the one that proposed placing the company SKB Art on the list and that the government was preparing the decision “in silence.”

The statement conveys Alketbi’s assertion that he turned to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia because, apart from the constitutional complaint, he has no legal means to protect his rights, which he claims have been severely violated.