Russian billionaires have filed a complaint alleging Putin’s rise
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Russia’s four billionaires and the country’s energy giant have filed a lawsuit against HarperCollins for a book he published last year about the rise of Vladimir Putin.
Legal assault on the book, Putin’s peopleA number of cases have come to court in London a few weeks in a row, including banker Mikhail Fridman, a tycoon at retail and telecommunications, and Roman Abramovich, owner of the Chelsea football club.
Defamation and data protection lawsuit names HarperCollins’ UK arm along with book author Catherine Belton, former Thames Financial journalist. Putin’s people, Released in April 2020, details the rise of the Russian president to power and his relationship with the wealthy oligarchy.
The lawsuit highlights the strong commitment to writing about powerful oligarchies and the role of London-based lawyers in defending the interests of the global elite. The law firms that act on behalf of the plaintiffs are Carter-Ruck, CMS, Harbottle & Lewis and Taylor Wessing.
HarperCollins said Belton’s book is “an authoritative, important, and consciously original work.” “We will strongly advocate for the acclaimed and pioneering book and the right to report on issues of high public interest,” the publisher added. Belton made no separate comment.
Abramovich, who filed his first lawsuit, Marc-enhk said his “action was not taken lightly” and that the book contained “false and harmful” statements about it. Court documents showed that Abramovich’s dismissal lawsuit ordered Putin to buy Chelsea in 2003 and other charges. A spokesman for Abramovich made no further comments.
The book contains a claim made against the exiled Russian billionaire Sergei Pugachev, who was once a member of Putin’s inner circle, before fleeing the country and becoming a dissident. In a 2017 lawsuit, a National Court judge found Pugachev a reliable witness.
Other previously unreported claimants are Fridman, his longtime business partner Peter Aven, Russian real estate tycoon Shalva Chigirinsky and the Kremlin-controlled oil producer Rosneft. Aven has filed its claim under the Data Protection Act. Forensic documents for these cases are not yet available.
The lawsuits came in succession in March and April, with the UK law covering a one-year period for libel actions.
“We can confirm that neither Aven nor Mr. Fridman had any prior knowledge of the other issues you mentioned,” Fridman’s spokesman said in a statement. “They have not had a relationship, and they have not coordinated a legal strategy with other plaintiffs or their lawyers.
“Aven and Mr. Fridman’s cases were filed within the statute of limitations and after the defendants (HarperCollins) refused, Aven and Mr. Fridman began discussing numerous remedial actions proposed by attorneys,” the spokesman added.
Rosneft did not respond to a request for comment. Chigirinsky could not be reached immediately for comments through his lawyers.
Jessica Ní Mhainín of the Index on Censorship, a group that campaigns for free speech, said London courts are becoming the seat of judicial action designed to “eliminate critical journalism, not only in the UK but also around the world”.
He added that the UK has a global industry that benefits from these lawsuits against journalists and called for the implementation of reforms.
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