Roman Abramovich wins court battle against Berezovsky

 

Mr Berezovsky (left) and Mr Abramovich both have homes in London

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.
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.

BATTLE OF THE OLIGARCHS TRIAL

• Mr Abramovich objected about the hearing taking place in the UK, claiming it was "essentially Russian claims arising out of a uniquely Russian story".
• The trial used new technology, called MagnumCloud, which gave the judge and lawyers secure access to documents from computers in the courtroom.
• The Queen spent several minutes in the courtroom where the case was heard during a visit in December when she chatted to Mrs Justice Gloster.

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.
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.

The pair, pictured in Moscow in 2000, later fell out after Mr Berezovsky fled Russia

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".