Roman Abramovich wins ‘poker problem’ libel case

Roman Abramovich has won a libel case against Italian newspaper La Repubblica after it falsely claimed the Russian billionaire and Chelsea owner was struggling with a gambling problem.

The allegations were made last May in an article headlined: 'A black year for Abramovich as he loses a yacht at poker'. According to Abramovich's  lawyer John Kelly,  the report said that the Russian had lost so much money in a poker game he had been forced to hand over a luxury yacht worth €500,000.

He said: "The report also alleged that Mr Abramovich's poker playing had led to a crisis with his long-term partner Dasha Zhukova and that Mr Abramovich was now gambling online."

Kelly said the claims were untrue and had caused Abramovich "distress and embarrassment". La Repubblica's publisher, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espress, has been forced to make a public apology and pay substantial damages, which will be donated to charity.

In reality, if Abramovich did have financial problems, they would be far more likely related to the credit crunch. The €500,000 loss that La Repubblica falsely alleged is as nothing compared to the £6.3bn loss Abramovich is believed to have suffered as a result of the financial crisis, according to a report last month in Finans, a Russian business magazine.

Although the offending aritcle was published in Italy, the case was heard at the High Court in London just days after Britain's best known media judge Mr Michael Eady dismissed the idea of 'libel tourism' as a "myth".

It has been claimed that foreign nationals with no connection to the country are taking advantage of the UK's libel laws.

But Eady said: "Claimants must always have a connection, like a business interest or residency. Or they must be EU nationals, who are entitled to a hearing in our courts. The facts have been seriously misrepresented."

Abramovich is a Russian citizen but has several homes and businesses in the UK and spends a large amount of time in this country.

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