The Telegraph reported that Russian oligarch Mr Oleg Deripaska will accuse rival Mr Michael Cherney of being a lifelong criminal in a multi billion pound battle in the High Court.

Mr Deripaska, a business associate of Chelsea FC owner Mr Roman Abramovich will allege that Mr Cherney was part of a criminal brigade in Uzbekistan which was involved in the extortion and take over of illegal factories.

According to documents filed last week, Mr Deripaska will also accuse him of becoming a link between his friends in the Uzbek criminal community, corrupt officials and the Moscow criminal underworld. The case which starts on Monday, will center on the payment in 2001 of USD 250 million by Mr Deripaska to Mr Cherney.

Mr Cherney will claim the payment is proof that he was a shareholder in the former’s aluminium empire, Rusal. His legal team will claim that their client took a young Mr Deripaska under his wing at the start of his meteoric rise to wealth and that using his financial muscle and his political connections with the Yeltsin administration, Mr Cherney opened the doors that allowed his protégé to become one of the richest men in the world.

In return, he was given part ownership of the asset at the heart of the Mr Deripaska and Rusal Empire, the Sayan aluminium smelter, known as SaAZ.

Mr Cherney will give evidence via a video link from his home in Israel because of an outstanding arrest warrant relating to a money laundering investigation in Spain, where he is wanted for questioning. The case is expected to run for a week as both sides set out the basis of their case. It will then adjourn until September when witnesses including Mr Abramovich will be called.

Mr Cherney denies any criminal involvement and claims the his relationship with Mr Deripaska was purely a business one.

Source - The Telegraph

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