Russia & Europe in $6 MLN spat

The Council of Europe says Russia owes more than four million Euros ($US6 MLN) in fines for cases it's lost at the European court of human rights. The claim is contained in the Council’s annual report.

The figure is three times the total of 2006. It puts Russia into fourth place behind Turkey, Greece and Romania.

The report says Russia has a good record for paying up once verdicts have been reached.

The Kommersant newspaper reports that these numbers could be three years old since the Court on Human Rights usually reviews cases with a delay.