Charity run by Medvedev's former classmate files lawsuit against Navalny

A charity accused by Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) of having corrupt ties to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has filed a lawsuit against Navalny and his organization.

The “Sotsgosproekt” (“Social State Project”) Foundation is demanding that Navalny and the FBK retract a part of their Medvedev investigation that claims the charity is somehow involved in a corruption scheme. Sotsgosproekt also demands that the FBK retract its claims that the foundation doesn’t actually perform charitable work.

In its lawsuit, Sotsgosproekt insists that it supports and develops socially-oriented projects and defends civil rights.

According to the news agency RAPSI, Sotsgosproekt’s lawsuit includes expert linguistic testimony arguing that the FBK’s investigation contains “explicit and implicit statements” defaming the charity.

In June 2017, Sotsgosproekt asked Navalny and the FBK to remove all mention of the charity from its investigation into Medvedev.

Earlier this year, Navalny and his organization lost a lawsuit to billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who demanded that Navalny retract claims that Usmanov bribed Medvedev through the Sotsgosproekt charity. Navalny has appealed the ruling and the verdict has yet to take effect.

The Sotsgosproekt foundation is run by Ilya Eliseyev, one of Medvedev’s former classmates.