Bank St Petersburg (BSP) forged personal loan guarantees or forced Vitaly Arkhangelsky to sign them in December 2008 because it was in danger of having insufficient reserves to keep operating, Arkhangelsky claimed in evidence he gave in Paris.

The Russian businessman is being sued in the London High Court by BSP, which claims Arkhangelsky and his wife, Julia, did not pay back personal guarantees and loans made to Oslo Marine Group (OMG) companies amounting to nearly RUB 1.8bn.