The Litvinenko Inquiry

Part 6 | Chapters 1 to 8 | The polonium trail – events in October and November 2006
Chapter 4: Visa applications
6.44 The first of the journeys to London with which this Part is concerned was that made
by Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun between 16 and 18 October 2006. This was to be
Mr Kovtun’s first trip to the UK, and he therefore needed to apply for a visa. As I have
mentioned, Mr Lugovoy had made several visits to London in the preceding months
and years. As it happened, his previous UK visa had expired earlier in 2006 and he
applied for a further visa in May 2006.
6.45 Both Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun made their applications in writing to the British
Embassy in Moscow. The applications were considered by two different British entry
clearance officers posted to the Embassy. I heard oral evidence from both.
Visa application by Mr Lugovoy
6.46 Mr Lugovoy’s visa application form was dated 23 May 2006. 27 Evidence about the
form (which was completed in Russian) and the procedure by which the application
was considered was given by Mr Nigel Moughton, who was at the time in question an
entry clearance officer at the British Embassy in Moscow. 28
6.47 Mr Moughton explained that Mr Lugovoy’s application was for a tourist visa (section
5.3 of the form); the form further stated that Mr Lugovoy wished to travel to the UK
on 31 May for eight days. Evidence of the booking at the hotel in London at which
Mr Lugovoy intended to stay on this trip was attached to the form.
6.48 Mr Moughton gave evidence about the checks that would have been undertaken in
relation to the application after it had arrived at the Embassy. He said that Mr Lugovoy’s
name would have been checked against a ‘Warnings Index’ to make sure, as he put it,
“that the person is not of interest to a multitude of government agencies”. 29 This check
was completed on this occasion, and the result recorded was that Mr Lugovoy had
‘No Trace’ on the Warnings Index.
6.49 Mr Moughton stated that the form was then subject to a number of further checks
by local staff. It was at this stage that a query was raised by an entry clearance
officer other than Mr Moughton in respect of Mr Lugovoy’s application, namely that
Mr Lugovoy had travelled on eight occasions under his previous six month visa.
Mr Moughton explained that he had not been involved at this stage; his understanding
was that the volume of Mr Lugovoy’s previous travel was considered to be unusual
and to require an explanation.
6.50 Mr Lugovoy was accordingly telephoned and asked why he had used his last visa
eight times, and what he had been doing in the UK on those occasions. There is a
manuscript note of the telephone conversation. 30 Mr Lugovoy is recorded as saying
that:
“he has travelled to the UK purely for holidays because he has friends there
(Aleksander Litvinenko) and he likes the UK. He travelled either alone or with his
wife.”
27
INQ006201
28
Moughton 8/94-116
29
Moughton 8/102
30
INQ006201 (page 15)
117