"The Court dismisses Mr. Makhlouf's appeal and thus confirms that the restrictive measures against him must be maintained for the period 2016-2017," the European Court of Justice said, stating that the EU had shown him to be associated with and providing support for the Syrian government.
In 2011, businessman Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of the Syrian president, was added to a list of people to be put under a travel ban and asset freezes because of the government's actions in Syria's civil war.
Makhlouf has been appealing the asset freeze for the period of May 29, 2016, to May 31, 2017, at the EU's General Court, who rejected his claim. He later appealed that decision as well.
The US president earlier blamed Bashar Al-Assad for the alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians. These accusations were supported by the US-led coalition, including France, and the UK. Damascus has strongly denied the allegations.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. The war has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe, with over 13 million Syrians at the moment in need of humanitarian assistance, and over 7 million people internally displaced due to violence and destruction.