Jose Maria Sison, a Philippine national, has been resident in the Netherlands since 1987. He applied there to be granted refugee status and to obtain a residence permit. This application was rejected on the grounds that Mr Sison was leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines ("CPP") and that he in fact led the military wing of the CPP, which was responsible for a number of terrorist attacks in the Philippines. Following various appeals, this refusal decision was finally confirmed in 1997 by decision of the arrondissementsrechtbank te ’s-Gravenhage (The Hague District Court, ‘the Rechtbank’).

 

In 2007, the Council adopted – and then confirmed on several occasions – a decision to include the name of Mr Sison in the list of persons whose assets are frozen, based on matters contained in this judicial decision.1 Mr Sison submitted an application for annulment of this decision to the Court of First Instance.

 

 

The Court dismissed the action for compensation.