Roman: I freed UK hostages while Boris took credit
New twist at High Court as Chelsea owner says he paid Chechens to free aid workers
ROMAN ABRAMOVICH has told the High Court in London that he paid the ransom to have two British hostages released by Chechen rebels in 1997, while Boris Berezovsky took all the credit
The Chelsea FC owner, who is being sued for £3.6bn by his former business partner, gave the court a surprising account of his involvement in the kidnap of British aid workers Camilla Carr and Jon James.
The couple were eventually released after 14 months in the captivity of Chechen rebels, and flown home on Berezovsky's private jet. At the time, British Ambassador to Moscow Sir Andrew Wood announced: "It was Mr. Berezovsky who managed to secure the release of the hostages and fly them out of Chechnya and to safety."
But Abramovich claimed that a proxy - Badri Patarkatsishvili – arranged the release, while he, Abramovich, stumped up the ransom. "Badri was travelling to Chechnya to buy out the hostages, it wasn't Mr Berezovsky," Abramovich said in his testimony.
"After the hostages were bought out, Mr Berezovsky arrived with the journalists, everything was filmed and shown on TV. Moreover ... I gave the money to Badri."
The Daily Telegraph, reporting yesterday's testimony, made the point that at the time, both Britain and Russia claimed that no ransom was paid.
Camilla Carr's mother Helen reacted with shock to Abramovich's claim: "We've never heard that, my God. Mr Berezovsky flew them out and he just said 'There is always an exchange,' but he wouldn't say any more."
The hostage revelation is just the latest twist in this court battle between the Russian billionaires, which has forced the publicity-shunning Chelsea owner to speak on the record for the first time in five years.
Abramovich has also invited controversy by insinuating close ties between Berezovsky and Chechen gangsters, to the anger of his former business partner's lawyers. ·
