The Litvinenko Inquiry

Part 3 | Chapters 1 to 5 | Alexander Litvinenko
crimes had been committed. Put shortly, as I understand it, the allegations made by
Mr Litvinenko and the others had been rejected. 46
3.58 Although Marina Litvinenko did not recall this when giving oral evidence, 47 the
documents before me indicate that Mr Litvinenko almost immediately made a formal
application to have the investigation reopened. 48
3.59 On 13 November 1998 an open letter from Mr Berezovsky to Mr Putin was published
in the Russian media. A copy of this letter is in evidence. The letter detailed the
allegations made by Mr Litvinenko and the others and was critical of what it described
as an attempted cover up. In the final paragraphs of the letter, Mr Berezovsky made
a direct appeal to Mr Putin:
“Vladimir Vladimirovich, no doubt, the legacy you received from your predecessors
is not easy. Criminals and corrupted functionaries at different levels, even in your
institution, are hitting those who do not want to go back to the pigsty. The wave
of criminal terror is rising in the country. Mafia and the ‘red-brown’ elements are
striving for power. They do not understand that there is no place for people like
them in a free country where democracy is firmly secured by law.
I do not consider the facts and problems raised in my letter isolated, I see a
tendency here and this tendency is mortally dangerous for Russia.
I am asking you to use the power vested on you to secure the constitutional order.” 49
3.60 Mr Berezovsky’s open letter made a clearly worded request to Mr Putin to reform
the FSB. A few days later, on 17 November 1998, Mr Litvinenko went public with
his criticisms of the FSB at a press conference in Moscow that was attended by the
world’s media. It appears likely that the press conference was part of a larger reform
strategy directed by Mr Berezovsky.
3.61 The press conference was held at the RIA Novosti international news agency in
Moscow. Mr Litvinenko appeared before the press without a mask and was the main
speaker. Also present and unmasked was Mr Trepashkin, with whom Mr Litvinenko
had by this time struck up a friendship. 50 Four of Mr Litvinenko’s fellow officers from
URPO, including Mr Shebalin and Mr Ponkin, also appeared, wearing either skiing
masks or sunglasses. Marina Litvinenko described the press conference in the
following terms:
“Never in the history of the Russian security services has the FSB experienced
such a public exposure. [Mr Litvinenko] and the others talked about corruption,
criminalisation of the FSB and the fact that the system that was set up to protect
people was turning into the system from which people needed to be protected.
They also aired the details of extrajudicial acts that the FSB conspired to undertake
against Trepashkin, Dzhabrailov and Berezovsky.” 51
46
Marina Litvinenko 3/74-75; INQ017734 (page 9 paragraph 30)
47
Marina Litvinenko 3/75 lines 10-12
48
HMG000115
49
BER002661
50
INQ017734 (page 9 paragraph 30)
51
INQ017734 (page 10 paragraph 33)
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