This event will cover the general premise of economic and other sanctions as a political tool, the Magnitsky Act story / uniqueness / global scope, and why other countries may prefer alternatives .

Panelists include Dr Anton Moiseienko, Lecturer in Law at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra; Simon O’Connor, MP for Tamaki; and Sandra Gantenbein, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland to New Zealand.

This event was inspired by Bill Browder’s bestselling book, “The Freezing Order”, which follows the story of the conception of the Magnitsky Act and the battles faced throughout its implementation. Bill Browder, American born and UK-based businessman, had the idea for the Magnitsky Act after his colleague, Sergei Magnitsky, was wrongfully detained and killed in the Russian prison system for speaking out against fraudulent acts taken by individuals in Russian government. The Magnitsky Act uniquely targets assets pertaining to those who have committed acts of fraud or human rights abuse, directly affecting the guilty parties benefiting from the acts.

Since its adoption in the United States, the US has also passed the Global Magnitsky Act, allowing the President to freeze assets of perpetrators across the world, and a range of Western countries have adopted their own versions of the legislation. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine makes the importance of the Magnitsky Act and other sanction legislations much more salient.

We will be joined by a panel of three experts in Magnitsky legislation and the use of sanctions as a political instrument. The Magnitsky story, scope, and its subsequent global implementation will be covered as well as alternatives taken such as New Zealand’s 2022 Russia Sanctions Act.

Speakers and their biographies:

Simon O’Connor, MP: Simon is the Member of Parliament for the Tamaki electorate in Auckland. He has been appointed as the National Party’s Spokesperson for Customs; Internal Affairs; Arts, Culture & Heritage; as well as Associate Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. He is the immediate past Chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee and in a previous parliament, was the Chair of the Health Committee. Simon is also a co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international group of legislators working towards reform on how democratic countries approach China. Simon was educated at the University of Auckland and earned several degrees there. He is married and has 5 stepchildren.

Sandra Gantebein: Deputy Head of Mission Sandra Gantenbein was born in 1974, in the Canton of St Gallen, Switzerland. She entered the service of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1996 and was assigned as a trainee in Bern and Stockholm, and subsequently as an Attaché in the Directorate of Resources. In 2000, she was transferred to the Swiss Embassy in New Delhi, India as Attaché. From 2005-2007 she was Vice Consul at the Embassy of Switzerland in the United Arab Emirates and served as Consul and Head of Chancery in Singapore from 2007-2012. In 2012 she was assigned as Consul and Head of Chancery to the Consulate General of Switzerland in Hong Kong. In 2016 she was transferred as a Deputy Head of the Swiss Consulate General in Munich, Germany. Since 2021, she is Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Niue, with residence in Wellington. Ms Gantenbein is a mother of two children.

Dr Anton Moiseienko: Anton is a Lecturer in Law at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. His work focuses on transnational crime, economic crime and cybercrime, as well as legal and policy aspects of targeted sanctions. He is the author of Corruption and Targeted Sanctions, a monograph on the legal and policy implications of ‘Magnitsky’ laws.