Rice trader Moni sues Lakshmi Mittal

Leading NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is being sued for allegedly reneging on a multi-million dollar agreement to pay fees to a former friend for helping secure an oil deal with a former Nigerian president,the Guardian reported today.

According to the report,Mittal has received a high court writ from the businessman Moni Varma.

Varma claimed to have facilitated a deal in 2006 for Mittal to gain access to two unexplored oil fields in the Niger Delta after arranging a meeting with Olusegun Obasanjo,the then Nigeria’s president,the report said.

Mittal has dismissed the claim,saying the case will be defended vigorously,the report added.