Oleg Deripaska, one of the world’s richest men, has been accused of “seeking to rewrite history” as a blockbuster lawsuit brought against him by a fellow oligarch opened in London’s High Court.
The case, featuring allegations of organised criminal gangs and protection rackets, began yesterday and will shine a spotlight on the career of Mr Deripaska, the aluminium billionaire who rose from humble beginnings to become one of Russia’s richest men and an associate of president Vladimir Putin.
Mr Deripaska came to prominence in the UK in 2008 when he entertained George Osborne, now the chancellor, and Labour peer Lord Mandelson aboard his yacht in Corfu, Greece.