Publisher HarperCollins apologises to Russian businessmen over claim they were connected to KGB as Roman Abramovich continues case against book that said he bought Chelsea on Putin’s orders
- HarperCollins settles claim with Russian businessmen Petr Aven, 66, and Mikhail Fridman, 57, over false claims they were connected to the secretive KGB
- Publisher admitted there was ‘no evidence’ to link Aven and Fridman to the KGB
- Ex-FT journalist Catherine Belton’s book Putin’s People is at the centre of row
- Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich is also suing the international publisher over claims Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered him to buy club in 2003
- HarperCollins has since apologised and deleted Belton’s inaccurate claims
Publisher HarperCollins has settled a claim with two businessmen after an author made false allegations that the pair were connected to the KGB.
Misleading references to Russian business magnates Petr Aven, 66, and Mikhail Fridman, 57, have been cut from ex-Financial Times journalist Catherine Belton’s book ‘Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Turned on the West.’
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is currently suing HarperCollins in the High Court after writer Catherine Belton said he bought the club on the orders of Vladimir Putin.
Belton quotes exiled oligarch Sergei Pugachev – once dubbed ‘Putin’s Banker’ – as the source of the Chelsea FC claims – but Abramovich maintains the allegations are untrue and damaging both to him and the club.
Misleading references to Russian business magnates Petr Aven, 66, and Mikhail Fridman, 57, have been cut from ex-Financial Times journalist Catherine Belton’s book ‘Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Turned on the West’
The publisher’s apology to the businessmen comes days after Pugachev denied making key claims about Abramovich’s £150million purchase of Chelsea FC in a radio interview.
In a statement HarperCollins admitted there was no evidence whatsoever to suggest Aven and Fridman were linked to the KGB.
‘Since publication of the first edition of the book by Catherine Belton, Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman have contacted HarperCollins to say that the book contained inaccurate personal data concerning them,’ the publisher said.
‘HarperCollins has amended some statements in the book in order to record the position as accurately as possible.
Fugitive Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev known as ‘Putin’s Banker’ (right), pictured with Putin in 2000, was quoted within Belton’s book
The publisher added: ‘HarperCollins and the author recognise and regret that comment was not sought earlier from Mr Aven and Mr Fridman in relation to statements suggesting Mr Aven or Mr Fridman had connections with the KGB in the early part of their careers in the late 1980s.
‘HarperCollins has been happy to amend the text to delete references to connections between Mr Aven, Mr Fridman and the KGB (claims for which HarperCollins recognises there has been no significant evidence), and to apologise that the subject was not discussed with them prior to initial publication.’
The book also makes a series of false allegations about Mr Fridman selling theatre tickets.
The publisher said: ‘HarperCollins has also recognised that the timing of when Mr Fridman sold theatre tickets as a student was inaccurate.
‘Mr Fridman disputes certain other details relating to his selling theatre tickets as a student, which HarperCollins has agreed to remove from future editions.
There was also an inaccurate statement in the book about gold bullion which mysteriously vanished.
The publisher added: ‘HarperCollins further recognises that Mr Aven was not the minister who hired Kroll to track down missing Communist Party gold in the early 1990s.
‘HarperCollins has amended the text of the book accordingly.’
Abramovich, 54, is suing HarperCollins and former FT Moscow correspondent Belton over claims he bought the club in 2003 on the order of the Russian president.
Hugh Tomlinson, QC, for Abramovich, told the defamation hearing at the High Court last week that the allegations are completely without foundation.
‘The claimant is described in the book as Putin’s cashier and the custodian of Kremlin slush funds.
‘The book alleges Abramovich covertly paid Putin large sums of money, then purchased Chelsea FC at his request in order to corrupt the British elite.’
Mr Tomlinson said the book repeats lazy inaccuracies about Abramovich’s role in various events and makes false and damaging statements about him.
Court documents prepared by the defendants described Pugachev as ‘one of the author’s significant sources’.
Pugachev is a former banker, industrialist and senator who left Russia for London in January 2011.
The exiled oligarch claimed in a radio interview last week that Putin never said that he instructed Abramovich to buy Chelsea FC.
He went on to claim he had not been interviewed specifically for Belton’s book, despite the index listing 21 separate interviews with the author over the course of six years.
Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich (pictured next to Putin) is also suing the international publisher over claims the Russian President directed him to purchase the club in 2003
He told Ms Rykovtseva he only spoke to Belton about his ongoing litigation in the UK, and the journalist was covering the proceedings for her then-employers, the FT.
During the litigation Pugachev’s evidence was branded ‘self-serving’ and ‘impossible to believe’ in a series of High Court rulings.
Pugachev then fled the UK in violation of a court order, earning a two-year sentence.
He claimed in the interview with Radio Free Europe on 29 July that Putin never said that he instructed Abramovich to buy Chelsea FC.
He went on to claim he had not been interviewed specifically for Belton’s book, despite the index listing 21 separate interviews with the author over the course of six years.
He told Ms Rykovtseva he only spoke to Belton about his ongoing litigation in the UK, and the journalist was covering the proceedings for her then-employers, the FT.
During the litigation, Pugachev’s evidence was branded ‘self-serving’ and ‘impossible to believe’ in a series of High Court rulings.
Pugachev fled the UK in June 2015 in violation of a court order, earning a two-year sentence.
Andrew Caldecott, a lawyer representing HarperCollins and Belton, described Pugachev as someone ‘prone to overstating his role’ and argued readers would factor his credibility into account when reading the book.
Mrs Justice Tipple is expected to make her first ruling on the meaning of key passages in the book in September ahead of a full libel trial at the High Court next year.
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