Russian TV company asks UK Court not to pass ruling on Berezovsky lawsuit
MOSCOW. March 3 (Interfax) - Russia's national television and radio company VGTRK has asked a court in the UK not to pass any rulings in the Berezovsky vs. VGTRK case, the company told Interfax on Wednesday.
"The hearings were held in the absence of VGTRK representatives because after the Russian TV and radio company refused to disclose its sources, it was barred from the hearings and lost the right to defend itself. The judge heard the case alone without a jury. That decision was made without the VGTRK's participation, or prior notification," the spokesman said.
"Therefore, we have asked the London Court not to pass rulings on Berezovsky's suit against VGTRK," he said.
Businessman Boris Berezovsky filed a lawsuit in London in May 2007 after RTR-Planeta television accused Berezovsky in the Vesti Nedeli program on April 1, 2007, of falsifying evidence while seeking political refuge in Britain. Berezovsky claimed that the story, broadcast on a channel available for free across Europe, had damaged his business reputation.
The litigation involving Berezovsky's suit ended on February 19. The verdict is to be announced within a month.