LONDON, September 9 (Itar-Tass) — Roman Abramovich’s barrister Jonathan Sumption was rewarded with $12 million, the biggest fee in the British legal practice, for beating Boris Berezovsky in court, the Sunday Times reports.
The remuneration four times exceeded the billing of the defense of Berezovsky, who lost the court battle to the Chelsea soccer club owner, the newspaper said. It said Berezovsky was startled with the payment to the Abramovich lawyer and said he would appeal it later in September. The total bill Berezovsky has to foot is $160 million. Being the defeated party, he shall bear the expenditures of both sides.
The court said Sumption would get $9.2 million for preparing for the court hearing and making his speech, and $3.2 million more for booking of his service.
The Times said earlier that the case dented the financial status of Berezovsky and might lead to his bankruptcy. Hopes of the Russian exiled oligarch to improve his position at the expense of Abramovich were crushed. Judge Elizabeth Gloster took the side of Abramovich and rejected Berezovsky’s claim for about $6 billion on August 31.
The lawsuit was very important for Berezovsky, considering his current financial status. His fortune shrank to several hundreds of millions of dollars, Sky News said.
Berezovsky took residence in the UK in 2002. Russia suspects him of a variety of economic offenses, but the UK denies his extradition.