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Berezovsky To Sell Warhol Painting to Pay Court Fees

Russian self-exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky has decided to auction off his "Red Lenin" painting by Andy Warhol in a bid to raise money.

The painting will be auctioned off at Christie's auction house in London on Wednesday with a starting price of £50,000 ($76,000), The Times of London reported Monday.

The billionaire hopes to raise enough money to pay off his creditors and cover court fees from previous lawsuits, according to the report.

Last October, Berezovsky lost a case against Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in London and agreed to pay £35 million ($56 million) toward Abramovich's legal costs.

Warhol's masterpiece is not the only object Berezovsky plans to sell.

BBC's Russian Service said that Berezovsky also wants to sell several houses and auction off a classic Rolls-Royce from 1927.

Berezovsky has been involved in several other high-profile cases, including a $23 million lawsuit with Aeroflot over claims that the businessman stole millions from the airline in the 1990s.

Berezovsky obtained political refugee status in the United Kingdom in 2003. Russian authorities have repeatedly requested his extradition in connection with several high-profile cases, but British authorities have so far refused to grant it.

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