Kazakhstani mining company’s libel lawsuit against British author dismissed by High Court judge
A libel lawsuit, put forward by a Kazakhstani mining company against Financial Times journalist Tom Burgis over his new book, has been thrown out of court.
A High Court judge dismissed a case brought forward by Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), after the firm sued Burgis for libel, over comments made in the first two chapters of Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World.
ENRC’s lawyers claimed in reading the book, an ordinary reader might come to the conclusion that ENRC had been responsible for murdering three men, in order to protect its business interests.
However, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claim on the grounds that those parts of the book did not refer to the mining corporation itself, but to individuals instead.
“Only individuals can carry out acts of murder or poisoning, only individuals can be motivated to do so to protect their business interests,” the High Court judge said.
The judge also said the book does not claim that the three men were murdered, but instead raises suspicions around the three deaths.
ENRC was ordered to pay £50,000 in legal costs to Burgis and his publisher, Harper Collins.