Andrey Lugovoy filed an action against Kommersant daily following an article which, he claims, suggested he was the killer in the Litvinenko case. A Moscow city court has suggested the parties find a compromise.
Mr Lugovoy believes the article published in the paper in July was libellous. It outlined the investigation into the polonium-210 poisoning and called Aleksandr Litvinenko a 'victim' of Mr Lugovoy. The latter demanded the paper pay a 20 million rouble fine – that's more than $US 700,000 – and refute the offensive article. Kommersant's Chief Editor has admitted the paper used incorrect wording when referring to Mr Lugovoy. On Wednesday, the case was heard by a Moscow court. Kommersant’s lawyers suggested settling out of court, offering a printed retraction to clarify the situation. Mr Lugovoy is said to be considering the suggestion.