Russian Court Orders Navalny To Retract Bribery Allegation Against Tycoon Prokhorov

Oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov

Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov has won a lawsuit against Aleksei Navalny, with a Moscow court ordering the opposition politician to retract a bribery claim against the billionaire.

The Lyublino District Court ruled on June 26 that Navalny must make a statement on YouTube within 10 days in which he retracts the allegation, and must pay symbolic compensation of 1 ruble ($0.02) as requested by Prokhorov.

Prokhorov sued Navalny over an April article in which he alleged that Prokhorov paid Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Khloponin what amounted to a multimillion-dollar bribe by buying property in Italy from him at what he called a highly inflated price.

Following the court ruling, representatives of Navalny said they will seek to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Based on reporting by Dozhd and Rapsinews