Mayor of Moscow Takes Critics to Court : Russia: Yuri Luzhkov has often been accused of corruption. His response is lawsuits--one naming Mikhail Gorbachev.

Don’t go around bad-mouthing Yuri M. Luzhkov, the image-conscious mayor of Moscow.

To fend off longstanding allegations of corruption in a brand-new way, the mayor is dragging his critics into court in a series of well-publicized libel suits. After winning eight such cases this year and losing none, Luzhkov is turning his sights on increasingly powerful opponents.

Today, a slander suit brought by Luzhkov against former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev will be heard in a central Moscow courtroom. On Friday, Luzhkov takes on Russian Parliament Chairman Ruslan I. Khasbulatov in another venue in the Russian capital.

Luzhkov’s case against Gorbachev stems from the former president’s May 11 appearance on the “Good Evening, Moscow” television show, when Gorbachev charged that the city government had built about a dozen dachas for high-ranking officials using “unknown” money--presumably public funds.

Khasbulatov is being sued because he publicly blamed the Moscow government for provoking a riot on May 1, when Communists marking International Workers’ Day clashed with police, leaving one dead and dozens injured.

“Khasbulatov charged not the mayor himself but the executive powers of the city, but we can still take this to court,” explained Ivan V. Zagradsky, head specialist in the mayor’s legal department.

Neither Gorbachev, Khasbulatov nor Luzhkov is expected to appear at the proceedings.

Russian government officials have adopted a wide range of Western media management techniques to improve their images, from photo opportunities to press conferences. But never before has a public figure here turned to the courts to bolster his standing.

Russian journalists covering the courts say Luzhkov’s cases are handpicked to ensure victory, targeting officials and journalists who offhandedly criticize Luzhkov rather than those with hard evidence of corruption. This gives the mayor a set of moral victories, insulating him against more serious allegations of wrongdoing.

“Luzhkov is corrupt. Dozens of stories that I’ve published prove it,” said Denis V. Molchanov, an investigative reporter for the Literaturnaya Gazeta newspaper who has covered Luzhkov for three years. “But my safe is full of documents, so he’s never sued me.”

Zagradsky, who represents Luzhkov in court, explained that under Russian libel law, the burden of proof is on the defendant. Gorbachev and Khasbulatov must prove their allegations of corruption to a city judge or pay court-ordered damages.

Some Muscovites doubt whether the city judges hearing Luzhkov’s cases are impartial, even though the judiciary is technically an independent branch of government free from the mayor’s control.

Igor Malyashov, the leader of Russia’s Communist youth organization, charged in the newspaper Sevodnya that the courts are under pressure to ignore the facts and rule in favor of the mayor. Malyashov had to pay damages of 15,000 rubles ($15 at current exchange rates, or half a month’s pay for the average Russian) when he lost a case to Luzhkov last week.

Luzhkov’s lawyer, though, says the courts are completely impartial, even when the mayor is the plaintiff.