Harper Collins settled a libel suit Wednesday with the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The book “Putin’s People,” authored by Catherine Belton, was published in 2021 in paperback format. The book dealt with KGB’s influence in Russia in the context of Putin and his influence on the West.

Abramovich filed a libel suit against HarperCollins Publishers LLC and the book’s author in London. They identified 26 passages from the book, which, when read together, made it seem  Abramovich owed his wealth to his good relations with Putin, due to which he had to help the latter in “administering his autocratic regime” in Russia. A fate similar to the Russian oligarchs under Boris Yeltsin’s rule.

The Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court of Justice ruled that 9 out of the 26 paragraphs were defamatory as per common law principles. The court adopted the ordinary and reasonable person standard, concluding that a simple reading of this book would cause one to believe that Abramhovich was acting under the direction of Putin to help sustain his presidency and control of Russia. Additionally, the court also ruled that all the statements complained of are statements of fact rather than opinion as claimed by the defendants.

The defendants have agreed to amend the passages concerning these claims. This includes the controversial purchase of the Chelsea Football Club in 2003 by Abramovich, which the defendant claimed was being used as a “vehicle to corrupt the west.” This is not the first time a soccer club has been accused of being used as a propaganda tool.