ZURICH, – The Swiss government announced on Wednesday that it aims to seize assets worth more than 100 million Swiss francs ($104 million) from a close ally of Ukraine’s deposed president, Viktor Yanukovich.

The proceedings concern Yuriy Ivanyushchenko and his family’s assets, which were frozen following Ukraine’s 2014 revolution, according to the statement, which stressed that the decision was unrelated to penalties imposed by Bern this year against Russians.

According to the government, the finance ministry will now seek the Federal Administrative Court to sanction the confiscation of the assets so that they can be restored to Ukraine.

The Swiss government authorised the freezing of the deposed president’s and his entourage’s assets in Switzerland, including that of Ivanyushchenko, a former member of parliament described as a close ally of the former leader.

Ukraine began criminal actions to seize the frozen assets in Switzerland, but has had difficulty obtaining the funds.

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“These problems were substantially worsened by the onset of hostilities in Ukraine,” the government said, adding that initiating confiscation proceedings in Switzerland “is now both conceivable and appropriate.”

(1 Swiss franc = 0.9622 dollars)