The Litvinenko Inquiry

Part 4 | Chapters 1 to 6 | Why would anyone wish to kill Alexander Litvinenko?
the time when Mr Berezovsky left Russia and gave up control of ORT, having fallen
out with President Putin. I heard that Mr Lugovoy’s explanation for his departure from
ORT at this time was that he was required to leave the company because he was
perceived to be one of Mr Berezovsky’s associates. 137
4.145 Unlike Mr Berezovsky, Mr Lugovoy did not leave Russia. Rather, he developed various
successful business interests, including a security company named Ninth Wave. 138
4.146 I also heard evidence about an event in Mr Lugovoy’s life that took place shortly
after his departure from ORT, and which is of considerable potential significance to
the issues that arise in this Inquiry. The evidence I heard was that Mr Lugovoy was
arrested and convicted in 2001 of attempting to assist another of Mr Berezovsky’s
associates, named Mr Glushkov, to escape from prison. The evidence was that he
was released in 2002, after 15 months’ imprisonment. 139
4.147 As we shall see, questions have been asked about this chapter of Mr Lugovoy’s story.
The underlying theme of these questions has been the possibility that Mr Lugovoy was,
or became, an FSB agent tasked to act against Mr Berezovsky and his associates. It
has been suggested that Mr Lugovoy’s conviction and imprisonment were fabricated
in order to add to his credibility with Mr Berezovsky. Mr Glushkov, for example, stated
that Mr Lugovoy had never been seen in the Lefortovo prison during the time that
he was supposedly detained there. 140 Another suggestion has been that Mr Lugovoy
may have been recruited by the FSB whilst in prison. One focus of speculation in
this regard has been Mr Lugovoy’s successful business career following his release
from prison, in particular in the security business, which was closely monitored by
the FSB. I heard evidence that Andrei Vasiliev, the editor of the Russian newspaper
Kommersant, had put the matter in this way:
“There is a saying ‘there is no such thing as a former KGB man’… I find Lugovoy’s
story a little strange. He was in prison, had a criminal record and suddenly he
is okay, is allowed to do business, still having contact with Berezovsky. It raises
questions.” 141
4.148 As I have described, both Mr Litvinenko and Mr Lugovoy were associates of
Mr Berezovsky in Moscow during the late 1990s, and both gave an account of having
met occasionally at that time. 142 They also gave consistent accounts of not having
had any contact with each other for some years following Mr Litvinenko’s departure
from Moscow, and of then meeting again in London in 2004 or 2005. However, their
accounts differ in what may be significant respects as to the timing and circumstances
of their first meeting in London.
4.149 As to the timing of their first meeting in London, Mr Litvinenko said twice during the
course of his interviews with DI Hyatt that the meeting had taken place in 2004. He
also said that Mr Lugovoy had been in London at the time to watch either CSKA
Moscow or Spartak play Chelsea. 143 Mr Lugovoy’s account (in the witness statement
that he gave in the Terluk litigation) was that the meeting had taken place in October
137
Mascall 8/26-30
138
Mascall 8/31-32
139
A number of different dates were given for Mr Lugovoy’s imprisonment. The 2001-2 dates seem most likely,
since they coincide with the evidence given by Mr Glushkov: Mascall 8/44-48
140
Glushkov 17/46-48
141
Mascall 8/47-48
142
Mascall 8/49; INQ016593 (page 10)
143
INQ002470 (pages 2-3); INQ016593 (pages 10-11)
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