Abramovich spoke about his friendship with Berezovsky, his connections with the Chechens and the death of an intractable partner

Giving testimony in the commercial court in London according to the suit of Boris Berezovsky , Roman Abramovich said that he needed him as a "political roof" in the mid-1990s. Abramovich had to explain to the question of Berezovsky’s connections with Chechen militants, and he simply said about the death of an intractable partner: "He drowned."

Answering the questions of the lawyer Berezovsky Lawrence Rabinovits, the owner of the Chelsea football club admitted that the term "roof" can mean both political and physical protection, BBC reports.

“If you mean Mr. Berezovsky, then he was able to provide both types of roof,” said Abramovich. “I turned to him because I needed a political roof.”

- Abramovich - about an unexpectedly dead, intractable partner: "He drowned"

Judge Gloucester asked Abramovich to explain why he claims that he could count on physical protection after meeting Berezovsky.

"I hoped that the presence of Berezovsky and the people who surrounded him, including Badri (Patarkatsishvili), would provide physical protection. But we did not discuss this. It was like a free application," the billionaire answered.

It was evident how Berezovsky at that moment grinned at that moment.

"In February 1995, we agreed on $ 30 million a year for assisting - for financing ORT and personal expenses. For this, Berezovsky had to help the presidential signature and achieve the issue of documents by which the government will remain 51%, and 49% will be privatized, - the newspaper " Vedomosti " quotes. - this was before the first package of documents was sent on February 10 President ".

Abramovich said during interrogation that in the field of business relations, in particular the situation with Sibneft, he fulfilled all obligations to Berezovsky.

Rabinovich reminded Abramovich that it was Berezovsky who introduced it to the founder of the SBS-AGRO to Alexander Smolensky, thanks to whom the funds of $ 100.3 million were found to purchase Sibneft shares. Also, during the hearing, Rabinovich noted that funds were allocated under the personal guarantees of Berezovsky.

Abramovich did not dispute the last statement, but said that he did not find out about this right away, and the money was paid exclusively for political patronage.

Patarkatsishvili participated, Abramovich said, and in other schemes. According to the defendant, it was he who transferred the money to the Chechen militants, and this was a "staging plot."

“Badri flew to Chechnya, paid for the hostages, then flew on the Berezovsky plane with reporters,” Abramovich quotes RIA Novosti . “I gave the money to Patarkatsishvili, he flew to Chechnya and paid the ransom.”

We are talking about Camille Carr and Joe James, children's psychologists from the UK. They arrived in Chechnya in 1997 to treat children for free, and as a result, spent more than a year. Carr and James were released in 1998. Berezovsky bought people from Chechnya several times. From captivity, in particular, was released by NTV journalist Elena Masyuk and two of her colleagues. Because of this, other similar episodes Berezovsky have repeatedly encountered accusations that he was financing Chechen militants.

"Everything related to Chechen separatists and their financing was a well -known fact. No one at that time hid it, even the Minister of the Interior," Abramovich said in court.

Abramovich rejected the lawyer’s assertion that he was trying to denigrate his client, and emphasized that he simply describes the situation.

Rabinovich indicated that at the time of Berezovsky’s acquaintance with Abramovich (as the latter stated, it took place at the end of 1994) his client personally knew only about five ethnic Chechens.

The lawyer asked if the defendant considered the “gangster” of one of the acquaintances of Berezovsky, Chechen Mohammed Ismailov. Abramovich replied that no, as well as the first deputy head of the presidential administration Vladislav Surkov, who, as you know, spent the first few years of his life in Chechnya.

The plaintiff’s lawyer also tried to undermine Abramovich’s position on the “roof”, which Berezovsky allegedly provided.

He pointed out numerous facts testifying to close and friendly relations between Berezovsky and Abramovich from 1995 to 2000. Abramovich did not dispute that at that time they, their then spouses and children repeatedly rested together, swam on yachts and celebrated, for example, Berezovsky’s birthdays and other holidays. Abramovich was forced to admit that his ex -wife Irina and Berezovsky’s wife Elena was friends.

Rabinovich indicated that these facts do not correspond to the relationship of the patron and defended, which Abramovich spoke of.

He replied that he looked back, he admits that he talked a lot with Berezovsky and “enjoyed this communication”, but at the same time he would not call him his close friend.

Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph newspaper published a photograph of fifteen years ago, which are captured in an embrace Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich, writes Moscow Komsomolets . The picture, transferred to the editor with unnamed persons, was taken during the rest of the oligarchs in the Spanish resort of Sotogrand. Berezovsky’s hand is patronizing on Abramovich’s shoulders. This allowed the newspaper to assume that the photo confirms the "mentor role", which was played at that time Berezovsky for Abramovich. According to the publication, this contradicts the statements of Roman Abramovich that he was not a friend of Boris Berezovsky.

Abramovich will answer the questions of lawyers for several more days.

The hearing in the lawsuit of Berezovsky against Abramovich began in the high court of London on October 3. Berezovsky claims that under the pressure of Abramovich, he was forced to sell a share in several Russian companies in 2000-2003, including Sibneft and Rusal, much cheaper than their real value. The plaintiff requires 5.6 billion dollars in compensation.

On Friday, the former top manager of Yukos Leonid Nevzlin gave testimonies in court. According to him, the ex-head of Yukos Mikhail Khodorkovsky personally saw documents confirming that Berezovsky was the key shareholder of Sibneft. One of the key issues of the process is whether the Berezovsky shares of Sibneft in general, which is denied by Abramovich. The Berezovsky’s name in the list of shareholders of the company really was really, but, as the witness claims, he was one of the owners.

A week ago, businessman Mikhail Cherny refused to participate in the hearing even by video communication.

Then the experts did not exclude that the Cherny living in Israel decided to refuse to participate in the process of fears that this could jeopardize the favorable outcome of his own trial against Oleg Deripaska. The high court of London considers Black's claim to Deripaska, requiring 4 billion dollars of compensation for a share sold in 2001 in 2001, but Deripaska rejects all his claims, saying that he had no general business with black.

It is estimated that London court hearings on the claim of Berezovsky against Abramovich can cost the plaintiff a hundred million pounds . True, the lawyer Abramovich Jonathan Sampshn receives a fee calculated by an eight -digit figure.

Abramovich - about an unexpectedly dead, intractable partner: "He drowned"

At the end of the hearing on Tuesday, Lawrence Rabinovich recalled a suspicious event associated with the creation of Sibneft, the newspaper Vedomosti writes.

Seeking the inclusion of two enterprises in this company - Noyabrskneftegaz and the Omsk Oil Refinery, Abramovich and Berezovsky received the support of the general director of the first enterprise Viktor Gorodilov, but the general director of the oligarchs did not like the plans of the oligarchs. Likkevich was an influential person in Omsk, and his plant was the largest and most modern in the country.

On the eve of Rabinovich, he presented the court with a letter from Berezovsky Fachevich with a notification that the presidential decree was being prepared for the unification, and the words that Abramovich would come to the director, who would explain everything.

Abramovich himself told the day before in court that the persons were against such a plan and wanted to create a financial and industrial group on the basis of his Omsk refinery. But he died "under difficult circumstances," noted Rabinitz’s lawyer. “He drowned,” Abramovich said. He further said that there were no problems with the new general director of the plant when creating Sibneft, "there was an understanding of what we want to do."

According to the driver of the Little, he wanted to take a walk along the shore of the Irtysh, then he decided to swim and suddenly disappeared under water. The official cause of death is a heart attack.