Lord Justice Christopher Clarke, of the High Court’s Queen’s Bench, ruled that the trio are “jointly and severally liable” for the remaining costs that oil producer Gulf Keystone Petroleum and sister company Texas Keystone spent defending themselves, according to a text of the ruling.

Lemos, New York hedge fund Platinum Partners and now-shuttered litigation finance firm BlackRobe financed a UK lawsuit by Excalibur Ventures targeting damages of about $1.6bn,