MOSCOW, Moscow 26 (RAPSI) – Businessman Sergei Polonsky has filed a RUB 100 million ($2.8 million) defamation suit in the Tagansky District Court against TV host Arkady Mamontov, his lawyer told RIA Novosti Wednesday.

“We reviewed Arkady Mamontov's Special Correspondent TV show broadcast several months ago and concluded that it contains statements that defame Sergei Polonsky,” attorney Alexander Karabanov said. “The words 'fraudster,' 'criminal' and 'stealing,' which Mamontov used with respect to Polonsky, run contrary to the principle of the presumption of innocence.”

“Our principal goal is to adjust journalistic mentality so that reporters don't make legally unacceptable statements that shape public opinion,” the lawyer said.

Karabanov said a negative portrayal of Polonsky could impact his business standing and future projects. “If Mamontov admits that he overreacted, I may recommend that Polonsky consider an amicable settlement. We could be satisfied with an apology,” he said.

Polonsky spent three months in jail in Cambodia on kidnapping charges last year. The Cambodian police arrested Polonsky, Konstantin Baglay and Alexander Karachinsky on December 31, 2012, on charges of harming the crew of a ship that was taking them to Sihanoukville from nearby islands and of depriving them of their personal liberty.

Prosecutors maintained that the three men, while in a state of intoxication, threatened the crew with knives, locked them in a hold, and then forced them to jump overboard. The tycoon and his friends were ultimately released.

After being released on bail, he fled to Israel where he sought citizenship supposedly in a bid to shield himself from extradition to Russia.

Polonsky was then detained again in Cambodia by local police in November 2013 at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, which is seeking the businessman's extradition. Polonsky was charged in absentia last July as part of a criminal case involving the embezzlement of over 5.7 billion rubles (over $158 million) from the participants in an up-market condominium project in central Moscow.

On March 20, Polonsky was officially charged with embezzling over 150 million rubles ($4.1 million) from participants in the Rublyovskaya Riviera residential development project.

In 2008, Forbes ranked Polonsky Russia's 40th richest man with a $4.35 billion fortune. He headed the Mirax Group, a property development company that went bankrupt during the global economic crisis.