A former Alaska lawmaker convicted in a federal conspiracy case has filed a defamation lawsuit against one of the government's star witnesses.

Vic Kohring filed the lawsuit against Bill Allen in June after an appeals court tossed Kohring's 2007 conviction and ordered a new trial.

Allen was a key witness in the first trial and expected to testify at Kohring's retrial. Kohring instead agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs that receive federal funds. His sentence included time served.

The defamation lawsuit also names Allen's now-defunct oil services company Veco and the company that bought it, CH2M Hill Alaska, as defendants.

State courts were closed Friday, and messages were left for attorneys for Allen and CH2M Hill.

The case was first reported by the Alaska Dispatch.