Gupta asks court to lift freezing order in Trafigura fraud case

LONDON (Reuters) - Lawyers for Indian businessman Prateek Gupta on Friday filed documents asking a London court to lift a $625 million global freezing order on him and his companies, Gupta's spokesman said.

The freezing order was imposed by the London High Court in February after a request from commodity trader Trafigura, which has alleged "systematic fraud" by Gupta's companies over nickel cargoes.

The spokesman did not say what grounds Gupta gave for asking the court to cancel the freezing order.

Gupta's representatives have previously said they would provide a robust response to the fraud allegations.

In February, a London court imposed a freezing order on bank accounts and other assets tied to Gupta and seven companies Trafigura said are controlled by Gupta, including those in Britain, Malaysia, Singapore and Switzerland.

In April, the court also imposed a freezing order Gupta's wife, Ginni Gupta, relating to a house in Dubai, in which the couple are believed to live, and a Cayman Islands investment fund, a court document by Trafigura's lawyers said.

Freezing orders are injunctions granted by the English courts to restrain individuals or businesses from disposing of or dealing with assets on a worldwide basis.

(Reporting by Eric Onstad; editing by Barbara Lewis)