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Roman Abramovich wins court battle against Berezovsky | Roman Abramovich wins court battle against Berezovsky |
(35 minutes later) | |
Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has won his legal battle against exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. | |
Mr Berezovsky, 65, claimed to have been a business partner of Mr Abramovich, 45, and accused him of a breach of trust and breach of contract. | |
He said he was intimidated into selling shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft for a "fraction of their true worth" and claimed some £3bn ($4.7bn) in damages. | |
But the London Commercial Court judge Mrs Justice Gloster ruled against him. | |
href="http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/media/judgments/2012/berezovsky-abramovich-summary-31082012" >In her ruling Mrs Justice Gloster said she found Mr Abramovich "to be a truthful, and on the whole reliable, witness". | |
She said she dismissed Mr Berezovsky's claims in relation to Sibneft and RusAl "in their entirety". | |
'Political godfather' | |
Mr Berezovsky, who had also claimed Mr Abramovich broke a promise in a deal involving a Russian aluminium company, was in court but there was no sign of Mr Abramovich. | |
Mr Abramovich said Mr Berezovsky was paid millions of pounds for his services as a "political godfather" but was not a business partner. | Mr Abramovich said Mr Berezovsky was paid millions of pounds for his services as a "political godfather" but was not a business partner. |
The court heard Mr Berezovsky "fled Russia, never to return" in 2000, after falling out with then president Vladimir Putin. | The court heard Mr Berezovsky "fled Russia, never to return" in 2000, after falling out with then president Vladimir Putin. |
Both men have homes in London, with Mr Abramovich owning a property in Knightsbridge as well as a 400-acre estate in Fyning, West Sussex. | Both men have homes in London, with Mr Abramovich owning a property in Knightsbridge as well as a 400-acre estate in Fyning, West Sussex. |
On his arrival in court on Friday Mr Berezovsky, who now faces a huge legal bill, told reporters: "I believe in the system." | |
During the three-month trial, which is thought to have cost millions of pounds in legal costs, the court heard details of the lifestyles of Russia's super-rich oligarchs. | |
Mr Berezovsky claimed Mr Abramovich was a "gangster" while Mr Abramovich responded by saying there were times when Mr Berezovsky was "something of a megalomaniac". | |
The hearing was told Mr Abramovich bought a businessman a plane to say thank you after one deal. | |
Mr Berezovsky told the court he was born in Moscow, studied mechanics and mathematics and worked as a designer for Russian state car maker AvtoVAZ in the 1970s, before going into business in the 1980s. | |
Dr Evil text | |
In the 1990s, following the collapse of communism, Mr Berezovsky embarked on a political career and Mr Abramovich's lawyers claimed he was a "power broker" and a "highly controversial figure". | |
The hearing was told Mr Berezovsky's expenses - including "palaces in France", "private aircraft", "valuable paintings" and "jewellery for his girlfriend" - were paid for by Mr Abramovich. | |
The two oligarchs first met in 1994, when Mr Abramovich was a 28-year-old oil trader who dreamed of creating a "vertically-integrated" oil company. | |
Mr Abramovich's lawyers said Mr Berezovsky saw the idea as "offering the opportunity for great wealth". | |
Mr Abramovich told the court he left school at 16 and served in the Red Army before beginning his business career by selling plastic toys. | |
He said he had "never aspired to be a public figure" and, in a written statement, listed the acquisition of Chelsea in 2003 under "political and charitable" activities. | |
Accusations and counter-accusations were hurled during the trial. | |
One of Mr Abramovich's business partners said Mr Berezovsky had threatened a former employee in a text message signed Dr Evil. | |
Mr Berezovsky denied it and claimed Mr Abramovich was "ruthless" but "good at getting people to like him". |