Courts / Ireland / Report

WRC refuses jurisdiction in UK firm's discrimination case over owner's former Russian citizenship

Summary

The Workplace Relations Commission rejected a discrimination complaint lodged by the UK‑registered stockbroking firm XTX Markets Technologies Ltd against the Irish investment fund Aviva Investors Liquidity Funds PLC. XTX alleged that Aviva refused to allow it to purchase shares because its owner, Dr Gerko, had previously held Russian citizenship. The WRC found that XTX, as a corporate entity, lacked the legal standing to bring a claim under the Equal Status Act 2000. The tribunal noted that XTX had no assets or property in Russia, was not a designated person under any sanctions regime, and had no connection to any sanctioned individuals. The decision reaffirmed that a private limited company cannot be regarded as having a protected characteristic under the Act, and therefore the complaint was dismissed. The ruling upheld the precedent that corporate entities are not considered victims under the Equal Status Act.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: WRC refuses jurisdiction in UK firm's discrimination case over owner's former Russian citizenship. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• December 2022 Other
• 2023-11-27 Publication

Why: The Workplace Relations Commission has refused to consider a case taken by a UK stockbroking firm which accused against an Irish investment fund of discrimination by refusing to let it buy in because its owner was once a Russian citizen. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report