A former Moscow police officer who filed a libel claim against a British businessman who had implicated him in corruption and murder in Russia saw his case thrown out by a High Court judge today.
Mr Justice Simon ruled that the claim by Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Karpov, 35, was an “abuse” of the court process. The judge said his court had no jurisdiction because the officer could not establish a reputation in this country.
The case has been described as one of the worst examples of libel tourism, where foreign nationals with little or no connection to the UK use the High Court to settle their disputes.
Karpov had claimed damages for libel against millionaire hedge-fund magnate William Browder, who has campaigned against corruption within the Russian government after his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was tortured and died in police custody.
Mr Magnitsky, 37, was found dead in his Moscow cell in November 2009.
Mr Pavel was one of a number of Russian officials whom Mr Browder, 49, publicly accused of being behind a massive tax fraud.
