The Russian media magnate Alexander Lebedev looks set to avoid prison after a surprising twist to the final day of his trial on charges of hooliganism and battery for punching a fellow businessman.
Lebedev was charged in September 2012, a year after he punched Polonsky during the filming of a TV chatshow. He has insisted from the start that the case against him was fabricated, motivated by overzealous law-enforcement agencies eager to punish him for his campaign against corruption and his co-ownership of Novaya Gazeta, Russia's main investigative newspaper.
Lebedev called on a list of famous backers, submitting character reports written by John Malkovich, Elton John and Hugh Grant begging the court for leniency. His lawyer, Henry Reznik, is Russia's most famous advocate and used his booming baritone to impress upon the court the heft of Lebedev's reputation.
