The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
f. CCTV footage at the Millennium Hotel shows Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun arriving
back there at about 3.30pm. 227 Similar footage shows Mr Litvinenko arriving at the
hotel at about 4.00pm. 228 There is evidence, to which I shall of course return, about
a meeting that then took place in the Pine Bar of the hotel between Mr Lugovoy,
Mr Kovtun and Mr Litvinenko. CCTV footage shows Mr Sokolenko, Mrs Lugovoya
and her children arriving back at the hotel at about 4.30pm, 229 which was about
the time that the meeting in the Pine Bar was breaking up
6.252 There is a degree of overlap between Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun’s visit to the CPL
offices and the two phone calls made shortly after 11.30am. I propose to address the
two issues together.
6.253 It is quite clear that Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun did attend the CPL offices at some
point on the morning of 1 November. I have already referred to the evidence of the
Visitors’ Book and the cell siting. The Visitors’ Book does not record a time of arrival.
Mrs Davison’s evidence was that the two men arrived between 11.00am and noon, 230
which is broadly consistent with DI Mascall’s understanding of the cell site evidence.
6.254 I heard evidence from three individuals who were present at the CPL offices that day
and who recalled meeting Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun. They were Dr Shadrin himself, 231
his assistant Mrs Davison 232 and Mr Gorokov, 233 a colleague of his. Mr Gorokov was
confused over dates, but it is clear that the events he was describing took place on
1 November, since he remembered that it had been the day of the match between
Arsenal and CSKA Moscow.
6.255 The strong impression that I gained from the evidence of these three witnesses was
that there was little real business, and certainly no urgent or important business, done
that day.
6.256 Mr Gorokov and Mrs Davison were both, as it happened, football fans who were due
to go to the match that evening. They both recalled discussing the prospects for the
match with Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun. Mr Gorokov recalled speaking to Mr Lugovoy
for 15 or 20 minutes about football, including looking at his ticket and telling him that
he had a good seat. He was asked directly whether they had discussed any business
at all – he said, “No, this time it was not business; it was only saying this sporting
matters.” 234
6.257 Dr Shadrin recalled that there had been a meeting on that day and that he had had
some general discussions with Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun about possible new
projects, but his main memory appears to have been of Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun
discussing the football with Mrs Davison and Mr Gorokov. He said:
“… frankly I don’t remember that we actually discussed anything. Basically I was
trying to explain Lugovoy the steps that he needs to undertake to develop the
227
Mascall 16/87
228
Mascall 16/92-93
229
Mascall 16/170-171
230
Davison 14/124
231
Shadrin 14/191-195
232
Davison 14/114-137
233
Gorokov 13/142-155
234
Gorokov 13/151-152
160