Richest Russian woman sues Sunday Times

30 November 2009

Russia’s richest woman Elena Baturina has denied claims she is buying London’s largest home and is suing the Sunday Times for libel.

Baturina, 46, says a page three story in the paper in September alleging she was buying Witanhurst House in Highgate was false and has damaged her reputation and good standing. Now she is seeking damages, an apology and a correction from publishers Times Newspapers.

Although dilapidated, Witanhurst House is huge with 65 rooms, 25 of which are bedrooms. The grade two listed property, which has a 70ft ballroom, stands in seven acre grounds and was used as a set by BBC’s Fame Academy as well as for various period dramas.

Baturina, who is married to Moscow’s mayor Yuriy Luzhhov, is thought to have a personal fortune of £1.3 billion. She is the 279th richest person in the world after the success of her company, Inteco.

Her diverse assets include a string of hotels, more than 72,000 hectares of agricultural land, and a factory which produces condensed milk.

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