The Sunday Times Bestseller, titled “Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West”, was written by Catherine Belton and published in Australia on August 5 by HarperCollins.

In proceedings filed in the Federal Court on Tuesday against the publisher and its Australian unit, Abramovich alleges the book contained the defamatory imputations that he covertly acted under Putin’s direction as the custodian of slush funds and provided the Russian president with access to the $13 billion profit he made through selling his stake in Russian oil firm Sibneft to Russian gas supplier Gazprom in 2005.

“In consequence of the respondents’ publication of the book the applicant has suffered hurt and embarrassment and has been greatly injured in his credit, and reputation in Australia; and has been brought into public scandal, odium and contempt,” the statement of claim says.

The book allegedly claimed Abramovich purchased the UK Chelsea Football Club under Putin’s secret direction to “infiltrate, manipulate and corrupt the British elite” and spread Russian influence in the UK and within international football association FIFA.

Abramovich’s lawsuit alleges the book claims he moved to New York under Putin’s direction to cultivate influence with former US President Donald Trump’s family and made a corrupt payment of $203 million to Russian health care company Petromed, disguised as a donation, which was intended to be paid into a slush fund for the Russian President’s use.

The book also carried the defamatory imputation that he helped the Kremlin use the UK courts to damage its opponents with a $6.5 billion lawsuit brought by Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky by denying that Berezovsky had ever owned stakes in Sibneft or Rusal, the lawsuit alleges.

Abramovich seeks aggravated damages, claiming HarperCollins failed to inform him of the allegations before it published the book, did not ensure it was accurate and did not recall the book after the businessman’s lawyers sent letters of demand on March 23, April 19 and June 11. He is also seeking orders that HarperCollins recall and destroy the books and issue an apology.

HarperCollins, Australia’s oldest publisher, was sued for defamation by psychiatrists Dr John Gill and Dr John Herron in September 2017 over the book “Fair Game on Scientology in Australia”, which contains an account of how Scientologists uncovered the use of deep sleep therapy at the Chelmsford Private Hospital in Sydney.

The defamation case was dismissed in November 2020, with a judge finding that the lawsuits were an attempt to “rewrite history” regarding harm done to patients receiving the controversial deep sleep therapy.

Lawyerly has reached out to HarperCollins and Abramovich’s legal representative for comment.

Abramovich is represented by Kennedys (Australiasia) Partnership.

The case is Roman Abramovich v HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited.

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