London law firm ‘acted appropriately’ for Putin’s warlord Prigozhin
The legal regulator is reported to “have decided to take no further action” against law firm Discreet Law which acted for the former leader of leader of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
As revealed by Democracy for Sale, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) decided that London-based Discreet Law “acted appropriately” when representing the sanctioned Wagner leader.
This comes after a two year investigation by the SRA over allegations the firm used strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), when taking libel action against journalists, including a lawsuit against Eliot Higgins of Bellingcat.
As exclusively revealed by City PM in December 2023, Discreet Law, then headed by Roger Gherson, was folded.
This came after the High Court struck out Prigozhin’s defamation proceedings against Higgins in 2022, with a judge highlighted that it was an obvious case of SLAPPS (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation).
It was reported that the legal regulator said that “whilst there was public speculation surrounding Prigozhin’s connection with the Wagner Group, there was no evidence to suggest the firm should have been aware that his instructions in this respect were false”.
Discreet Law pulled out of defamation proceedings against Higgins in March 2022, the month Russia invaded Ukraine.
It was noted that the SRA added that “Prigozhin did not acknowledge his position in the Wagner Group until September 2022, which was after the law firm ceased acting in March 2022”.
The Wagner leader made headlines in 2023 when he led an armed rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in Russia in August 2023.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority was approached for a comment.