On July 7, the Paris Court of Appeals reduced the sentence of Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s National Rally, in a case involving the misuse of European Parliament funds, effectively paving the way for her to run in the 2027 French presidential election.
The court upheld the guilty verdict in the case involving the misuse of EU funds but reduced the ban on holding elected office from five years to 45 months, 30 of which are suspended. The remaining 15 months are considered to have already been served, so Le Pen regains the right to run for office.
The court also sentenced her to three years in prison, two of which are suspended, and one year to be served under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor. Additionally, according to Le Monde, she was fined 100,000 euros.
Following the court’s decision, Le Pen stated that she would run in the 2027 presidential election and appeal the verdict to the French Court of Cassation. According to Reuters and AP, the appeal could suspend the portion of the sentence involving electronic monitoring, allowing her to campaign without immediate restrictions of this kind.
The case concerns the use of European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016. Investigators alleged that money intended to pay for the work of European Parliament members’ assistants was used to fund party staff in France. Le Pen denies any wrongdoing and calls the case politically motivated.
The initial verdict, handed down in March 2025, threatened her participation in the presidential campaign, as the five-year ban on holding elected office effectively excluded her from the race. The National Rally had considered nominating Jordan Bardella as a contingency plan, but following the appeals court’s decision, Le Pen remains the party’s lead candidate.
The French presidential election is scheduled for 2027. Incumbent President Emmanuel Macron will not be able to run for another term, so the campaign is already being viewed as one of the most wide-open in recent years. Le Pen’s participation ensures that the National Rally retains its status as one of the key players in the upcoming race.
PJSC “Electrometallurgical Plant ‘Dniprospetsstal’” (Zaporizhzhia) and Zaporizhzhia Electric Power Supply LLC have reached a settlement agreement to repay the consumer’s electricity debt in the amount of 89,986,568 thousand UAH for the period from January 1 to February 5, 2026.
According to court documents in Case No. 908/1091/26, copies of which are available to the “Interfax-Ukraine” agency, on May 4, 2026, the Commercial Court of Zaporizhzhia Oblast received a statement of claim from ‘Zaporizhzhiaelektropostachannya’ LLC against “Dniprospetsstal” with the participation of JSC “Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo,” seeking recovery of debt for consumed electricity in the amount of 89,986,568 thousand UAH, of which 85.398 million UAH is principal debt plus 3% per annum and the inflation index.
Following a series of hearings, at the court session on June 3, representatives of the parties to the case supported a joint statement by the parties approving the settlement agreement dated May 26, concluded between Zaporizhzhia Electric Power Supply LLC and Dniprospetsstal PJSC. The court granted the motion to approve the settlement agreement, under which the defendant acknowledges that its debt for electricity consumed during the period from January 1 to February 5, 2026, amounts to 87,986,568 thousand UAH and undertakes to repay it in several installments.
Within three calendar days of the lifting of the provisional measures ordered by the Commercial Court’s ruling of May 19, 2026, in Case No. 908/1091/26, the defendant shall pay the plaintiff 50 million UAH.
Payment of the remaining principal debt in the amount of 37,986,568 thousand UAH will be made according to the following schedule: 18,993,284 thousand UAH by June 30, 2026; a similar installment by July 30, 2026.
On this basis, the court, by a ruling dated June 3 and published on June 8 of this year, closed the case.
In another case, No. 908/1844/25, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Commercial Court, by a ruling dated June 11 of this year and published on June 12, partially granted the motion “Dniprospetsstal” to defer enforcement of the decision regarding the recovery, in favor of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, of lost revenue from the use of a land plot without title documents for the period from July 14, 2020, to February 28, 2025, in the amount of 3,661,675 thousand UAH, taking into account the outstanding balance as of June 11, 2026, in the amount of 3,138,578 thousand UAH.
The company must repay the debt within five months, making equal monthly payments of 627,715 thousand UAH.
As previously reported, in the first quarter of 2026, “Dniprospeztal” saw its losses increase 3.9-fold compared to the same period in 2025—to 510.751 million UAH. Uncovered losses as of the end of March 2026 amounted to 6 billion 775.516 million UAH.
The company’s net loss in 2025 increased by 22.1% compared to 2024—to 711.015 million UAH from 582.427 million UAH. As of December 31, 2025, the company’s workforce numbered 2,814 thousand people (in 2024—3,147 thousand people).
“Dniprospetsstal” is Ukraine’s sole manufacturer of long products and forgings made from special steel grades: stainless steel, tool steel, high-speed steel, bearing steel, structural steel, as well as heat-resistant nickel-based alloys.
According to the National Securities Commission’s data for the first quarter of 2026, its shares are held by Wenox Holdings Ltd. (47.1128%), Boundryco Ltd. (11.0131%), Gazaro Ltd. – 16.5197%, Crascoda Holdings – 6.6826%, and Middleprime Limited – 9.7901% (all based in Cyprus).
It was previously reported that in May 2008, the international investment and consulting group EastOne sold its approximately 30% stake in Dniprospetsstal, which had previously been held under the group’s mandate. The plant’s new shareholders are linked to VS Energy International, whose beneficiaries include several Russian entrepreneurs.
According to the report, in May 2023, pursuant to a decision by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) dated May 12, 2023, personal economic sanctions were imposed on the ultimate beneficial owner of PJSC “Dniprospetsstal.”
The authorized capital of the PJSC amounts to 49.720 million UAH.
COURT, DEBT, DNIPROSPETSSTAL, ELECTRICITY, electricity supply, Zaporizhzhia
The Commercial Court of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast granted the claim of PJSC “Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant” (NZF, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) to recover UAH 17,271,408 in debt from LLC “Kvartsit DM” (Vasylkivka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast).
According to court documents in case No. 904/7423/25 in the Commercial Court of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, copies of which are available to the agency “Interfax-Ukraine,” NZF filed a lawsuit seeking to recover from “Kvartsit DM” a debt of 17.271 million UAH under general contract No. 1905621 dated September 27, 2019, as well as court fees.
By a ruling dated March 19 of this year, the court ordered “Kvartsit DM” LLC to pay NZF 17,271,408 UAH. The ruling became final on April 9. On the same day, the Commercial Court issued an order for the enforcement of the ruling (the order was published on April 10).
As reported, NZF’s claims are based on the defendant’s improper performance of the terms of General Contract No. 1905621 dated September 27, 2019, regarding full and timely payment for the work performed.
According to YouControl data, Quartzite DM LLC was founded in February 1999. Its primary activity is the extraction of other minerals and quarrying.
Vespanto Limited owns a 24% stake in the LLC, Dione Trading Ltd. – 23%, Relish Holdings Ltd. – 22%, “Hyperion Holdings Ltd.” (all based in the Marshall Islands) holds 22%, and “Lascrenso Management Ltd.” (St. Kitts and Nevis) holds 9%.
The company’s ultimate beneficiaries (50% each) are Gennadiy Bogolyubov (Austria) and Timur Mindich (Ukraine).
The authorized capital is 14,314,564 thousand UAH.
NZF is Ukraine’s largest producer of silicomanganese and ferromanganese. The average monthly output of ferroalloys under stable operating conditions is approximately 55–60 thousand tons.
According to the State Registration Service data for the fourth quarter of 2025, Sofalon Investments Limited owns 15.503% of the shares of the private joint-stock company, Rougella Properties Ltd. – 9.6904%, Dolemia Consulting Ltd. – 15.7056%, Sonerio Holdings Ltd. – 9.2158%, Manjalom Limited – 5.8824%, Treelon Investments Limited (all – Cyprus) – 15.1013%.
NZF is controlled by the EastOne Group, established in the fall of 2007 as a result of the restructuring of the Interpipe Group, as well as the Privat Group (both based in Dnipro).
The Madrid High Court rejected Airbnb’s request to suspend payment of a €64 million fine imposed by the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs and ordered the company to pay the fine while the case is pending. This was reported by Spanish media, and the move is part of a broader campaign by Spanish authorities to tighten control over the short-term rental market.
According to a report by El País, the fine was imposed in December 2025 and is equivalent to approximately six times the amount of “illegally obtained profits” that, according to Spanish authorities, Airbnb received as a result of its controversial advertising practices. The court ruling, published on March 23, specifically concerns the denial of a stay of proceedings, meaning it does not resolve the dispute on its merits but prevents the company from postponing payment until a final verdict.
Spanish authorities justified the sanction based on three main violations. These include the publication of listings for tourist accommodations without the required license number, the use of false or incorrect registration data, and misleading information regarding the legal status of landlords. All of this was classified in Madrid as forms of unfair or misleading advertising.
Airbnb, in turn, stated that the court’s decision is procedural in nature and does not address the substance of the dispute, and that the company itself considers the fine to be contrary to Spanish and European law. The company has already appealed the sanction and is continuing its legal defense.
The case is unfolding against the backdrop of a general tightening of Spain’s policies regarding short-term rentals. According to Reuters, in the summer of 2025, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs announced that it had secured the removal of 65,000 Airbnb listings deemed to be in violation of the rules, and subsequently identified nearly 55,000 more listings lacking the required license numbers. Authorities link this campaign to efforts to ease the pressure of tourist rentals on the housing market and curb rising rent rates for local residents.
Spain as a whole has been tightening restrictions on short-term rentals over the past two years. In particular, in March 2025, one of the country’s highest courts upheld Barcelona’s plan to completely phase out short-term rental licensing by 2028. This underscores that Airbnb’s conflict with regulators is part of a broader shift in Spanish housing policy toward restricting short-term rentals in overheated tourist areas.
For the real estate market and the tourism sector, this means an increase in regulatory risks for short-term rental platforms in Spain.
For the platforms themselves, the key issue is no longer just the scale of the business, but also the ability to quickly adapt to new requirements regarding licensing, transparency of listings, and disclosure of information about property owners.
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has dismissed the charges against Yuriy Bolokhovets, CEO of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine,” according to a statement by lawyer Volodymyr Volodymyrov on Facebook.
According to a statement by the Advanq Law Firm (ADVANQ), which provided legal representation, the court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed. According to the lawyer, the court found the charges against the head of the state-owned enterprise to be unfounded.
“Even before the case was transferred to NABU, the investigation had done a tremendous amount of work, gathering a large amount of material, but was unable to find evidence of land seizure, receipt and legalization of illegal funds, or abuse of official authority. Four of the five charges were not confirmed at the investigation stage, and in court we managed to prove the groundlessness of the last one,” Volodymyr said.
He emphasized that the reason for the persecution of Bolokhovets was the forest reform, as a result of which “the old system was destroyed, and billions in revenues from the sale of state timber began to be paid into the budget.”
The lawyer recalled that last year Bolokhovets was held in custody for two months with an “unrealistic bail amount” imposed, and his family, colleagues, and defenders were also subjected to pressure and information attacks. At the same time, he expressed his respect for the anti-corruption authorities for their objective analysis of the materials despite external pressure.
The press service of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” emphasized that the pressure on the CEO was due to his position on the introduction of transparent market mechanisms for the sale of timber and the de-shadowing of the forestry industry.
As reported, Yuriy Bolokhovets was notified of the suspicion in July 2025. During the investigation, he was held in custody with the possibility of bail.
State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” is one of the largest forest users in Europe and is under the management of the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine. The enterprise manages 6.6 million hectares of state forest fund land.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) will ask the High Anti-Corruption Court to impose a preventive measure in the form of bail in the amount of 50 million hryvnia for the head of the Batkivshchyna parliamentary faction Yulia Tymoshenko, who is suspected of attempting to bribe a number of MPs, the SAP told Interfax-Ukraine.
“The hearing on the imposition of a preventive measure will take place on Friday. The prosecutor’s office will ask the court for bail in the amount of UAH 50 million,” the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
The VAKS press service confirmed that the hearing will take place on Friday at 9:00 a.m.
“In response to numerous requests from media representatives, we would like to inform you that the consideration of the motion to apply a preventive measure to the People’s Deputy, the head of the parliamentary faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is scheduled for January 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the VAKS premises at 41 Beresteisky Avenue,” the Telegram channel said.
