when dealing with public criticism and allegations concerning his past, akhmetov has utilized a team of pr consultants and lawyers to protect his image and name. his team often contests reports on him that they consider to be libelous, scandalous, or inaccurate. to date, his legal team has obtained many retractions, apologies, and libel settlements. critics accuse akhmetov of going beyond protecting his name, but rather fear mongering investigative journalists. as many court cases occur in london for its lax free speech laws, critics accuse akhmetov and his legal team of abuse of libel tourism. in january 2008, akhmetov won a london libel court case "for damage to his reputation" for such claims, while several other statements about his "criminal past" have been retracted by the media.