The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
Chapter 7: British citizenship
5.78 I have referred above (at paragraph 3.98) to the strong sense of attachment that
Mr Litvinenko demonstrated to his adopted nation. I mentioned Marina Litvinenko’s
evidence about her husband flying the flag of St George during the 2006 World Cup.
5.79 Mrs Litvinenko explained in evidence that the family became eligible for naturalisation
as British citizens in 2006, and that they had submitted their applications during
the summer of that year. The applications were granted and all three then attended
a citizenship ceremony at Haringey Civic Centre. The ceremony took place on
13 October 2006. 72
5.80 Several witnesses referred to Mr Litvinenko’s delight at being granted British citizenship.
Mr Attew, for example, recalled that Mr Litvinenko had come to his office “elated at the
fact that he was holding a British passport. He was British… he was extremely proud.”
He added that Mr Litvinenko ran next door to see Mr Reilly. 73 Mr Reilly described what
was clearly the same occasion:
“… he ran in one day when he was given his British passport, he just absolutely
ran in, and threw it down on the desk and… wanted to go for a drink… He was
delighted, he was over the moon, he was ecstatic, he was literally jumping up in
my office, I was calming him down, I only had coffee to give him.” 74
5.81 Mr Litvinenko himself expressed his feelings about his British citizenship towards the
end of the last of his interviews with DI Hyatt. The relevant section of the transcript
reads as follows:
“I wouldn’t like you to think that this is some, some kind of pompous political
statement, but since all this happened I would like you to know very clearly what
my position regarding this matter is. As you understand last month I was granted
British Citizenship and I very much love this country, and its people, although
unfortunately I haven’t learnt the English language completely yet. I am proud to
be able to say that I’m a British Citizen. Yes they did try to kill me and possibly I
may die, but I will die, as a free person, and my son and wife are free people. And
Britain is a great country. When after we were given asylum here I took my son to
the Tower and I showed him the British crown, and I told him, ‘Sonny, you must
defend this country in future until the last drop of your blood,’ and he said, ‘Yes
Dad’. I told him, ‘Remember for the rest of your life this country saved us, and do
everything whatever you might be able to do in order to defend this country.’” 75
5.82 When Anatoly Litvinenko gave evidence before me, he frankly admitted that although
he could remember visiting the Tower with his father, he did not recall what his father
had said to him on that occasion. But he confirmed that the words that I have quoted
above were entirely consistent with what he knew of his father’s feelings. He said:
“… he would always go on about the integrity of this nation… the honesty and
transparency with which judicial processes were carried out as well as the honesty
72
Marina Litvinenko 3/112-113
73
Attew 13/21
74
Reilly 10/21; Tabunov 13/128; Berezovsky 25/13-14
75
INQ016652 (page 8)
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