LONDON: Evidence held by the British government relating to the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium should remain secret on grounds of national security, the High Court in London ruled yesterday.
Litvinenko, 43, was an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who died in London in 2006 after drinking tea that had been laced with a rare isotope, polonium-210. From his deathbed, he accused Putin of ordering his murder, a charge the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
Yesterday’s ruling was a blow to his family, which has accused Britain of trying to cover up embarrassing details to protect lucrative business deals with Moscow. Relations hit a post-Cold War low after the murder, but are slowly improving.
Seven years on, no inquest has yet been held because of the legal wrangling. Preliminary hearings were told that Litvinenko, who had been granted British citizenship, had worked for Britain’s MI6 intelligence service, and that the government had evidence which established a “prima facie case” that Russia was behind his murder. However, ministers subsequently claimed “public interest immunity” (PII) from releasing documents to the inquest, arguing that to do so would put national security at risk.
In May, Robert Owen, the coroner overseeing the inquest, partly upheld that claim in relation to documents alleging Russian state involvement, but rejected other parts, prompting Foreign Secretary William Hague to seek a judicial review of that decision.
REUTERS
