The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
6.323 A1 also drew attention to the readings taken in the gentlemen’s lavatories situated
next to the reception area at the Millennium Hotel. It will be recalled that the evidence
of the CCTV footage was that these lavatories had been used by both Mr Lugovoy
and Mr Kovtun shortly before the Pine Bar meeting, but not by Mr Litvinenko at any
point. Testing showed raised readings on one cubicle door, a sink and a hand drier.
A1 expressed the view that the contamination was secondary rather than primary,
albeit that, relatively speaking, the secondary contamination was at “very, very high
levels”. She said that the readings could “most certainly” be consistent with secondary
transfer by hand from the source of the primary contamination found in the Pine Bar. 301
Mr Litvinenko after the Pine Bar
6.324 After leaving the Millennium Hotel, Mr Litvinenko walked the short distance to
Mr Berezovsky’s offices in Down Street. In his hospital interview with the police,
Mr Litvinenko said that he had rung Mr Berezovsky in advance and told him that he
was coming – that would be consistent with a call from Mr Litvinenko to Mr Berezovsky
that is shown on the telephone schedule timed at shortly before 4.00pm. 302 It would
seem that Mr Litvinenko wanted to show Mr Berezovsky some of the documents that
Mr Scaramella had given him at itsu earlier that afternoon, which he thought were
relevant to identifying the killers of Anna Politkovskaya. 303
6.325 The witness statement that Mr Berezovsky gave to the police was largely consistent
with Mr Litvinenko’s account. Mr Berezovsky stated that Mr Litvinenko had called him
saying that he had papers to show him about Anna Politkovskaya’s death, and that
he had seen him using the photocopier in the offices that afternoon. Mr Berezovsky
added that Mr Litvinenko had given him some of the pages that he had copied to
read, but that he had not had time to read them – he was in meetings ahead of a trip
to South Africa, and he also wanted to get to the match at the Emirates Stadium that
301
A1 20/75-77
302
INQ020044 (page 5)
303
INQ016615 (pages 6-8)
178