Total spending on legal proceedings

​Request 831594415

Please can you provide the total amount of money to date that has been spent by any government department on legal proceedings related to Roman Abramovich and the freezing of assets. If possible, please can you also provide a breakdown of costs, such as external counsel fees, court costs, and administrative expenses. Thanks

Response

The requested information relates to an ongoing legal case and at this time is exempt from disclosure under Article 33(b) (Commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Article applied

Article 33 – Commercial interests

Information is qualified exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Public Interest Test

Factors favouring disclosure

• Promotes transparency and accountability in relation to public expenditure
• Supports public understanding of how public funds are being used
• Contributes to public confidence in government decision-making

Factors favouring withholding the information

• Protects the Government of Jersey’s ability to conduct litigation effectively
• Avoids prejudicing its legal and financial position in an ongoing matter
• Prevents disclosure of commercially sensitive information that could be used to its disadvantage
• Disclosure would be likely to prejudice the government’s ability to negotiate effectively and secure legal services on favourable terms

Conclusion

On balance, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.​