Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation sues Vladimir Putin

Update: The Tverskoy Court has declined to hear Navalny’s suit on constitutional grounds.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), a Russian investigative organization led by opposition politician Alexey Navalny, has submitted a lawsuit against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s Tverskoy Court.

The lawsuit is a response to money laundering charges brought against multiple FBK employees. Navalny said the FBK considers Putin to have ordered the fabrication of those charges and is now seeking to obligate him to defend the group’s constitutional rights.

Navalny said he is aware of the biases held by Russia’s courts. However, he indicated that he sees the lawsuit not as a political statement but rather as a demonstration that the FBK acts to ensure that the law is enforced while Putin does not.

Navalny had previously sued Putin in the Tverskoy Court in November 2017 after his supporters were unable to receive protest permits in a range of Russian cities. The court rejected Navalny’s lawsuit.