Austrian Court ruled in favour of international businessperson Elena Baturina in a case initiated by her estranged brother Viktor Baturin

LONDON, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the city of Kitzbuhel, an Austrian court refused Victor Baturin the claim against his sister Elena Baturina, a Forbes-listed entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The anti-defamation claim was filed by Viktor Baturin in 2017, shortly after his release from Russian prison in 2016. According to the claimant, the content of a press statement issued back in 2010 by company INTECO where he had been employed, damaged his business reputation, since it included the word "theft" to describe the reasons for his dismissal from the company.

After more than 4 years of proceedings, the Land Court of Kitzbühel refused to satisfy the claims laid by Viktor Baturin against Elena Baturina, having found them unsubstantiated.

Elena Baturina's lawyers noted, "The court came to the conclusion that the evidence and testimony submitted by Elena Baturina clearly showed that Elena Baturina was under the applicable Russian law not liable at all. Obviously, no single argument presented by Viktor Baturin seemed to be convincing to the judge."

Elena Baturina's spokesperson added, "From the very start, we reported that this claim as well as the series of others filed against Elena Baturina by Viktor Baturin and his representatives, was unfounded; his claims against her in Russia and other jurisdictions, along with the ones voiced by Viktor Baturin in media are insolvent.

"We are satisfied with the verdict of Austrian court, which just as well as the previous verdicts in similar proceedings, has proved and supported the validity and legitimacy of Elena Baturina's position in this dispute."

In Russia, Viktor Baturin has been convicted and jailed for financial crimes, in particular for forging promissory notes with a total face value of more than EUR 110 million in the name of INTECO, and property fraud. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in respect of these crimes.

Over the years Viktor Baturin and his representatives have made multiple attempts at suing Elena and her business entities for money by initiating legal proceedings on various grounds. They have not succeeded in any of the proceedings, with the most recent one finalised in May in the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow.