A judge in London has refused to place a veil of privacy over a High Court cash dispute involving three “immensely wealthy” overseas businessmen.
Viktor Vekselberg and Leonard Blavatnik failed to persuade Deputy High Court Judge Jonathan Hirst to make an order preventing Leonid Lebedev pursuing a claim against them in the United States.
Their lawyers also failed to persuade the judge to bar reporters from revealing the names of the people involved in the case.
Mr Lebedev claimed that he was owed more than £1 billion following the sale of a Russian oil and gas producer.
The three men subsequently entered into arbitration.
Mr Vekselberg and Mr Blavatnik argued that Mr Lebedev was bound by an arbitration agreement – and said he should be restrained from pursuing a claim in the New York Supreme Court.
But the judge refused their application.
Judge Hirst also said he would not “anonymise” his ruling – handed down at a hearing in the Commercial Court, part of the High Court in London.
He questioned the need for privacy and said he “believed strongly” in Commercial Court cases being aired in public.
The judge said all three men were “well-known and immensely wealthy businessmen”.
He said all three came from Russia but Mr Blavatnik had emigrated to the United States.
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