The Litvinenko Inquiry

Other meetings
Part 6 | Chapters 1 to 8 | The polonium trail – events in October and November 2006
6.171 The evidence now available to the Inquiry regarding Mr Lugovoy’s actions for the
remainder of this trip is limited. The account that Mr Lugovoy gave during his police
interview in Moscow did provide further detail in this regard, but for reasons that I
have outlined elsewhere (in Appendix 1, paragraphs 127 – 133) the record of that
interview is no longer material that I am able to use in evidence.
6.172 The records from the Sheraton indicate that Mr Lugovoy had breakfast at the hotel
on the morning of 27 October. Mr Lugovoy’s credit card billing and related witness
evidence show that he then spent the first part of that morning shopping in the
West End. 156
6.173 Moving on, the Visitors’ Book at 58 Grosvenor Street, where CPL had its offices, has
an entry showing Mr Lugovoy arriving there at 11.30 on the morning of 27 October
2006. 157 It is to be noted in this regard that the telephone schedule records a number
of calls made between Mr Lugovoy and Dr Shadrin the previous day, on 26 October. 158
When he gave evidence before me, Dr Shadrin was unable to assist as to whether or
not he had seen Mr Lugovoy at his offices on that day. 159
6.174 It also appears that Mr Lugovoy met Mr Litvinenko during this trip to London. There is
some evidence that the two met at the Sheraton Hotel on the evening of 26 October,
after Mr Lugovoy’s return from seeing Mr Patarkatsishvili. There is stronger evidence
that they met again on the following day, 27 October.
6.175 As to 26 October, it appears that Mr Litvinenko may well have met Mr Lugovoy in
the bar of the Sheraton Hotel some time after 7.00pm. It would appear probable that
Mr Lugovoy met someone there at that time, since the hotel records include a bar bill
in his name timed at 7.50pm for three glasses of wine and two teas. 160 Mr Litvinenko,
as we have seen, did not drink alcohol.
6.176 Various other pieces of evidence indicate that Mr Litvinenko had been in touch with
Mr Lugovoy during the day and that he was in the vicinity of the Sheraton Hotel from
shortly before 7.00pm until 9.40pm that evening. The telephone schedule records
several telephone calls made between Mr Litvinenko and Mr Lugovoy that day. 161
Mr Litvinenko’s Oyster Card records show that he travelled into central London in the
early afternoon of 26 October, and that he did not return home until after 10.00pm
that evening. Cell site evidence shows Mr Litvinenko in the vicinity of the Sheraton at
6.55pm. 162 It therefore seems likely that it was he who drank tea with Mr Lugovoy that
evening.
6.177 There was another bar bill on Mr Lugovoy’s account for the next day, 27 October 2006,
timed at 5.21pm. 163 On this occasion, a whisky and two teas were purchased. Cell site
evidence again shows Mr Litvinenko to have been in the vicinity of the Sheraton at
the time. 164 Further, in the course of his interview with the police whilst in hospital,
156
Mascall 12/70-72
157
Mascall 12/72-73
158
INQ017809 (pages 66-67)
159
Shadrin 14/188
160
Mascall 12/68
161
INQ017809 (pages 66-67)
162
Mascall 12/67-70; INQ019311 (pages 10-11)
163
Mascall 12/84
164
INQ019311 (pages 12-13)
145