MOSCOW, March 12 (RAPSI) – The General Court of the European Union (GCEU) held on Wednesday that the sister of Syrian President Bashar al Assad can remain on the list of individuals subject to EU restricted measures against Syria, according to a statement released by the court.

Bushra al-Assad, the president’s sister, was included on the Council of the European Union’s list of persons to be subject to restrictive measures because she was deemed to have benefitted financially from her ties to the regime. Her husband, Assef Shawkat, formerly served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Syrian regime, but has passed away.

According to the statement, Bushra was seen as a beneficiary and associate of the Syrian regime “on account of the close personal relationship and intrinsic financial relationship to the Syrian President and other core Syrian regime figures.”

After being placed on the restricted measures list, Bushra’s EU funds were frozen, and she was prohibited from having to or through the EU member states.

Bushra claimed before the court that the acts relating to her inclusion on the list have been annulled, in light of her husband’s death.

The GCEU held that despite her husband’s death, Bushra’s link with her brother, the president, is strong enough to justify her inclusion on the list.