(Bloomberg) -- A jailed Russian tycoon won a UK court ruling blocking a sanctioned Russian entity from getting $7.5 billion in a suit linked to control of a strategically crucial port in the Black Sea.

A London judge said that a Russian-court ordering Ziyavudin Magomedov to pay billions for pursuing litigation in the UK would be “utterly disproportionate.” Magomedov, who became a billionaire during Dmitry Medvedev’s four-year term as Russian president, sued sanctioned pipeline operator Transneft PJSC and several others for $13.8 billion in the UK.

Magomedov alleged in the London case that Transneft PJSC was part of a sprawling conspiracy to take control of his assets including the critical Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, which links Russia’s eastern seaboard to Asia. Magomedov was arrested in 2018 for embezzlement and later handed a 19-year prison sentence - he’s appealing his conviction from jail.

Transneft won two orders from a Russian court in April that allowed the Russian firm to enforce penalties of $2.5 billion and $5 billion against the tycoon and his firm if they continue to pursue the UK case.

The Tuesday ruling aims to prevent Transneft from seeking to enforce the penalties until November, when the UK court decides on whether the English courts should hear the case at all. 

A spokesperson for Magomedov didn’t comment on the ruling.

The Dagestan-born tycoon’s wealth surged during the years when Medvedev held the presidency, in part thanks to state contracts. The size of the claim is worth some $13.8 billion, based on an estimate of the value of Magomedov’s stakes in the various assets. 

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