Roman Abramovich had 'political godfather' - Telegraph.co.uk

Both men were at today's hearing.

"There was no rule of law," said Mr Sumption. "The police were corrupt. The courts were unpredictable at best - at worst open to manipulation by major political or economic interest groups.

"Nobody could go into business without access to political power. If you didn't have political power yourself you needed access to a godfather who did."

He added: "It is not easy for English lawyers to assess the behaviour of people who had to live in such a world."

Mr Sumption said Mr Berezovsky was paid millions of pounds by businesses controlled by Mr Abramovich for his services as a "political godfather".

"Mr Berezovsky was a highly controversial figure in Russian politics in the 1990s," he added. "Boris Berezovsky was a power broker."

And he said between 1995 and 2002 Mr Berezovsky had received "two billion dollars" from "businesses controlled by Mr Abramovich".

Mr Sumption also said that by the late 1990s Mr Berezovsky's personal expenses were met by Mr Abramovich's companies.

He said they were on an "exuberant scale" - funding "palaces in France", "private aircraft", "jewellery for his girlfriend" and "valuable paintings".