In what would appear to be good news for investors, UK newspaper The Guardian is reporting today that the use of a long-disputed legal clause has been forbidden by a top judge. The news, sourced from a story in Russian-language newspaper Vedomosti, casts President-elect Dmitry Medvedev in a positive light, as the judge in question is known to be one of his allies – the two were fellow law students at Leningrad University. Medvedev has spoken widely about the need to encourage domestic investment in Russia amid ongoing concerns about Russia’s investment climate. The clause in question has reportedly been used in recent tax evasion cases against Bashneft, Russneft and PricewaterhouseCoopers to try and confiscate company-owned property.