A London court has said it would consider a new suit brought by Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky against the family of his deceased business partner Badri Patarkatsishvili for the reimbursement of $3 billion, reports the Russian news portal Gazeta.ru, citing The Times of London.
According to the newspaper, the trial should begin in October and will last about six months.
Berezovsky sued the family of Patarkatsishvili, claiming that he owns half of the global business empire of the late tycoon, which "stretches from Central Asia to South America and includes interests in industrial projects, commercial property and media companies," reports the Times.
Berezovsky claims that after his departure from Russia, he transferred his assets to Patarkatsishvili, with whom he had an informal agreement on the further separation of commercial liability and, therefore, ownership of assets and the division of profits.
According to Berezovsky's lawyer Mark Hastings, the plaintiff's assets were eventually recorded in the name of Patarkatsishvili, in case they be claimed by the Russian justice system. However, relatives of the Georgian businessman insist that any agreement between Berezovsky and Patarkatsishvili was "unofficial, and not subject to English law."
Claims made by Berezovsky to the family of the deceased in 2008 are largely identical to his allegations in a case against Russian businessman Roman Abramovich. According to the plaintiff, Mr Abramovich forced him to sell shares of the company "Sibneft" at below market prices. In addition, Berezovsky accuses Mr Abramovich of selling shares in "Rusal" to another Russian businessman, Oleg Deripaska, contrary to earlier agreements.
