Billionaire Mining Moguls Fight SFO in $99 Million Trial (1)

Billionaire mining tycoons said the U.K.’s fraud prosecutor’s desperation for a high-profile scalp made it a “willing” audience for their “bullying” lawyer accused of leaking confidential information and inciting a criminal probe that’s dragged on for almost a decade.

The 11-week London trial between Kazakh miner Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. and the Serious Fraud Office started Monday as the company seeks 70 million pounds ($99 million) from the prosecutor, and hundreds of millions more from its ex-lawyer Neil Gerrard for money it says it spent on legal fees for internal investigations and defense.

The High Court battle marks the beginning ...