A high-profile lawsuit over an aluminium smelter in Tajikistan has exposed the government of the former Soviet republic as well as the English litigation system to scrutiny as a murky tale of oligarchs, KGB-trained moles, alleged corruption and secret families plays out in the High Court.

Fifteen years ago, in the midst of Tajikistan’s five-year civil war, corpses were found on the premises of the smelter – now known as Tajik Aluminium Company, or Talco – nearly every day.