The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
that particular plane was never tested because it was not believed to be at risk of
contamination. 208
6.233 The rest of the party (that is, Andrey, Svetlana, Galina and Igor Lugovoy and
Mr Sokolenko) flew from Moscow later in the day. They took BA flight 873, which
landed at Heathrow at 6.35 in the evening. All five of them sat in seats in row 23 of the
aircraft. The registration number of the aircraft was G-BNWB. 209
6.234 G-BNWB was tested for contamination, and readings indicating secondary
contamination were taken in the area of row 23. The highest readings were taken on
seat 23D, which was the seat that had been occupied on this flight by Mr Lugovoy.
6.235 Later that evening Mr Lugovoy and his party checked into their rooms at the Millennium
Hotel. The hotel records indicate that there was some confusion over the allocation
of rooms, and this appears to have been caused at least in part by Tatiana Lugovoya
arriving and checking in ahead of the main group. DI Mascall gave evidence about
the detail of the process, 210 but I do not propose to rehearse it here. The final position
reached was that Andrey, Svetlana and Igor Lugovoy were allocated room 441, Tatiana
and Galina Lugovoya were allocated room 101 and Mr Sokolenko was allocated room
382. Mr Begak had checked into a different hotel earlier in the day. 211
6.236 The telephone schedule indicates that Mr Lugovoy made a telephone call to
Mr Litvinenko lasting six minutes shortly after 9.00 that evening. 212 There had been
no previous telephone communication between them during the day. It is of some
potential significance that the evidence shows Mr Lugovoy initiating contact with
Mr Litvinenko, and not the other way around.
Arrival of Dmitri Kovtun
6.237 Dmitri Kovtun flew into London on a Germanwings flight early on the morning of
Wednesday 1 November 2006.
6.238 I have already referred to Marina Wall’s evidence that Mr Kovtun booked his onward
flight to London on the internet on Sunday 29 October, the day after he had arrived in
Hamburg. She also said that Mr Kovtun had used her boyfriend’s credit card to pay
for the ticket. Enquiries made by the German police confirmed Ms Wall’s memory of
events. They confirmed that the booking had been made on 29 October in the name
of Radoslaw Michal. 213
6.239 As I have also mentioned above, Mr Kovtun’s return flight from London to Moscow
had in fact been booked two days previously, on 27 October. Documentary evidence
demonstrates that on that day a booking was made for Mr Kovtun to fly to Moscow on
flight BA874 on 3 November, the flight on which the rest of Mr Lugovoy’s party were
already booked. The booking was made with the same travel agent as had previously
booked the travel for Mr Lugovoy’s party. 214
208
Mascall 13/187-188
209
Mascall 13/192-195
210
Mascall 13/191-192; 16/14-20
211
Mascall 13/188-189
212
INQ020044 (page 3)
213
Mascall 13/176-177
214
Mascall 13/179-180
156