Russian president Vladimir Putin wants Alexander Lebedev 'punished' claims witness at media magnate's trial Alexander Lebedev on trial for politically-motivated hooliganism Media mogul hit property tycoon Sergei Polonsky during a 2011 debate Russian president Vladimir Putin wants Alexander Lebedev 'punished' claimed a witness in the media magnate's trial today. The tycoon faces up to five years in a grim Russian prison if convicted of 'hooliganism motivated by political hatred' for hitting a property tycoon in a television talk show 20 months ago. The suggestion that Putin was seeking harsh treatment for Lebedev - whose family own the Independent titles and the London Evening Standard, and who controls a Russian investigative newspaper - came on a day of angry, heated exchanges in a Moscow court. 'I remember Putin said on air that it is hooliganism, it must be punished,' so-called expert witness Sergei Komskov, an academic, told the court. 'I can't agree more. If, yet again, such action is not punished, it means Russia is going to hell. The reference to Putin is highly significant because critics claim that by labelling the fracas between Lebedev and Polonsky as 'hooliganism', the Russian president - speaking three days after the incident - was discreetly issuing an order that legal action should be taken against the media owner with whom he once served as a KGB spy. The Kremlin has denied interfering in court cases and his only known public comment on the incident does not directly demand punishment for Lebedev. Komkov also insisted Lebedev struck mogul Sergei Polonsky, 40, with 'three punches'. This is disputed by the defence which claims the media owner pushed Polonsky. If the court finds there were indeed three strikes, and that they were based on Lebedev's 'political hatred' of Polonsky, it would open the way for the judge to impose a lengthy jail term under Russian law. 'There were three punches,' said Komkov, who claimed he was a 'culturalogist' and is Vice-President of the International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Co-operation among the Peoples of the World. Some minutes before the physical attack I noticed Lebedev massaging his fingers. It is normally done when the fighter has already decided to attack,' he claimed. Lebedev's team disputed Komkov's status as an 'expert' or his right to give evidence, claiming he had no proof of a string of academic qualifications he claimed to hold. They accused him of 'lying to the court' and last night Lebedev alleged that Komkov last year sought to launch a police probe against him. If true, the judge said it could nullify Komkov's evidence. It was claimed in court today Vladimir Putin is seeking harsh treatment for Alexander Lebedev and wants him 'punished' He did not directly witness the alleged punches but saw the show on TV. At one point today Lebedev's lawyer Genri Reznik claimed 'the trial is turning into a farce' and the judge responded 'I have started thinking so too', though it was unclear to what he was referring. A succession of witnesses have failed to turn up at the trial to give evidence against Lebedev amid signs of bungling by the prosecutors. In a positive move for 53 year old Lebedev, the judge refused to accept written evidence from Polonsky because it was not certified by the Russian consul in Cambodia where he is on bail for allegedly assaulting and kidnapping a group of sailors. Another Lebedev lawyer, Yuri Zak, said Polonsky must be made to appear in person at the trial, and raised doubts over whether he is, in fact, in Cambodia, as he informed the court. 'His testimony is needed in order to investigate the truth,' said Zak. Lebedev is accused of hooliganism based on political hatred. It is still not clear at all what political disagreement we are talking about all the time. Only Polonsky can explain the gist of this political hatred, when it began and what it was about, this is why we demand to make him come to Russia and take part. He warned Lebedev's rights to a fair trial would be jeopardised if he could not question is accuser. Putin's only known quote on the subject does not call for Lebedev to be punished but states: 'They are punching each other in the ears. Hooliganism. Imagine how they fight for money. They can gnaw each other's throats.'