143At paragraph 154 of OMPI (see also PMOI II, paragraph 74), the General Court also held that the judicial review of the lawfulness of a Community decision to freeze funds extends to the assessment of the facts and circumstances relied on as justifying it, and to the evidence and information on which that assessment is based, as the Council had expressly recognised in its written pleadings in Case T-306/01Yusuf and Al Barakaat International Foundation v Council and Commission [2005] ECR II-3533 (see paragraph 225 of that judgment). The General Court must also ensure that the rights of the defence are observed and that the requirement of a statement of reasons is satisfied and also, where applicable, that any overriding considerations relied on exceptionally by the competent Community institution in order to justify disregarding those rights are well founded.