The outspoken owner of London's Evening Standard and the Independent could face up to five years in prison if found guilty. Lebedev said the move to charge him was designed to silence a tycoon who has become increasingly critical of the rampant corruption of the regime of Vladimir Putin and its powerful security services.
Prosecutors opened an investigation into Lebedev nearly one year ago after he punched Sergei Polonsky, a property developer, during the filming of a television programme for the state-run channel NTV. In a heated discussion on the financial crisis, Lebedev, a 52-year-old former KGB agent, jumped out of his chair and flew at Polonsky, knocking him to the ground. Lebedev insisted he was provoked. "I think it was a trap from the beginning," he told the Guardian.
