US Lifts Sanctions on Former Sberbank CFO Alexandra Buriko

The US Treasury Department has removed sanctions on Alexandra Buriko, former CFO of Russia's Sberbank. Buriko was originally sanctioned for her role at Sberbank, a key entity in Russia's war efforts against Ukraine. After severing ties with Sberbank, she petitioned for reconsideration, leading to the lifting of sanctions.

In a significant move, the United States on Tuesday lifted sanctions on Alexandra Buriko, the former chief financial officer of Russian state-owned bank, Sberbank. The decision, announced via the U.S. Treasury Department website, marks a reversal after Buriko's resignation from the bank shortly after Western sanctions were imposed due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

A U.S. Treasury official confirmed that Buriko has severed her association with Sberbank, prompting the sanctions' removal as part of the Treasury's administrative review process. The official elaborated that the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions policy is effective not just in imposing but also in revoking sanctions when justified.

Initially sanctioned in May 2022, Buriko challenged her continued inclusion on the sanctions list, filing a lawsuit in Washington federal court in December 2024. She argued that her ties with Sberbank were cut shortly after the sanctions began. The legal proceedings are ongoing, with negotiations actively in process according to court documents.

(With inputs from agencies.)