The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
Chapter 5: Work for the Spanish security
services
4.92 I have made reference at paragraph 4.69 above to the assertion made by Mr Lugovoy
to the effect that Mr Litvinenko told him that he was working with the Spanish secret
services against the Russian mafia operating in Spain, and moreover that Mr Litvinenko
suggested to Mr Lugovoy that he join him in this work.
4.93 This account was corroborated by evidence that I heard from Marina Litvinenko and
others during the oral hearings.
4.94 Marina Litvinenko said that she believed Mr Litvinenko’s work with the Spanish
authorities had started in 2005 or at the end of 2004. She had been aware that he was
making trips to Spain for that purpose, and also that at least one payment in respect
of this work had been made into their joint account. She knew, too, that Mr Litvinenko
was helping the Spanish authorities in combating Russian organised crime in Spain.
She also knew that Mr Lugovoy had become involved in this exercise, because
she knew that he had been due to accompany Mr Litvinenko on a trip to Spain on
10 November 2006. But Mrs Litvinenko was not aware of the detail of the work that
Mr Litvinenko was doing in Spain – she said that, “Sasha didn’t tell me a lot because
he tried to save me.” 91
4.95 It would appear from a witness statement that Mr Berezovsky gave to the Metropolitan
Police Service in December 2006 that Mr Litvinenko had shared at least some of
these details with Mr Berezovsky. The statement included the following passage:
“I know that he [i.e. Mr Litvinenko] also collected some money from cooperation
with the Spanish intelligence service. He was helping them regarding the Russian
mafia. I understand his wife also received some money.
Twice in September 2006, he told me that he had helped the Spanish intelligence
agency to arrest a top Russian mafia boss operating in Spain called Shakuro.
He also told me that he was working on some intelligence relating to Roman
Abramovich. This was likely to see him arrested in Spain for money laundering
and buying land illegally. This also involves Putin.” 92
4.96 Mr Goldfarb gave evidence that he had had two conversations with Mr Litvinenko
about the work that the latter said that he was undertaking with the Spanish security
services. First, Mr Goldfarb said that in 2005 Mr Litvinenko had suggested that
Mr Trepashkin, who had briefly been released from prison, might leave Russia and
go to live in Spain, where he would be able to arrange work for him with the Spanish
authorities. 93 The second conversation that Mr Goldfarb recalled took place in 2006.
The notable feature of that conversation was that Mr Litvinenko told Mr Goldfarb that
one day he would give evidence in court about Mr Putin’s links to the mafia. 94
4.97 The evidence that Mr Litvinenko may have been assisting the Spanish authorities
with operations against Russian organised crime figures in Spain, and in particular
Mr Goldfarb’s recollection that he was anticipating giving evidence in court about
91
Marina Litvinenko 3/155-157; 4/120
92
Berezovsky 25/13
93
Goldfarb 5/129; 26/58-59
94
Goldfarb 26/59-60
72