Russian
courts on Wednesday ordered the temporary closure of three McDonald's (MCD.N)
restaurants in Moscow over breaches of sanitary rules, news agencies reported,
amid a standoff with the West over Ukraine.
The
restaurants on Moscow's Manezh square, under the walls of the Kremlin, at
Pushkin Square and on Prospect Mira have been closed since last week following
an order from state food safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.
Rospotrebnadzor
has so far ordered the temporary closure of a total of five McDonald's
restaurants in Russia. Sweeping checks, including unscheduled inspections, have
been
unveiled across Russian regions.
Russian
businessmen have said the crackdown is linked to the crisis over Ukraine, which
has soured U.S.-Russian relations and led to a round of sanctions and trade
restrictions. The food safety watchdog has denied that its actions are
politically motivated.
McDonald's
said it would appeal the Wednesday's rulings.
"We
do not agree with the courts' decisions and will appeal them according to
established procedures," a spokeswoman for McDonald's in Russia said.
A
lawyer representing McDonald's in the court, Maksim Titarenko, was also quoted
as saying the courts' decisions to close the branches for 90 days were
unjustified.
"The
court orders the maximum penalty under this article of the Code of
Administrative Offences although there are no grounds for it," Interfax
news agency cited Titarenko as saying.
Reuters
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