Judge ready to go to law with ENRC

City grandee Sir Paul Judge has warned that he will countersue the scandal-ridden mining concern Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation after the Kazakhstan-based group lodged a High Court writ against him.

In an announcement on Friday, ENRC accused Sir Paul, inset right, who was a director at the group until last month, of "malicious leaks" to the media. The London-listed group has endured all manner of difficulties and is currently the subject of a Serious Fraud Office probe as well as a £3bn takeover bid.

This weekend, Sir Paul responded: "I intend to defend this claim vigorously and to issue a counterclaim as appropriate.

"If ENRC persists in this legal action then I look forward to the day when the High Court examines the full factual background to ENRC, its directors, shareholders and this misconceived claim."