LONDON — British police said Friday there were no suspicious circumstances in the death of a Russian whistleblower who was a key witness against Russian officials accused of stealing $230 million from a London hedge fund in a money laundering scheme.
Alexander Perepilichny’s body was discovered in November 2012 outside his rented house in southern England. He had been in possession of documents that allegedly blew the lid off a massive Russian tax fraud involving dirty money being funneled into Swiss bank accounts.
Nothing suspicious, huh?
There were fears the 44-year-old had been poisoned, and two autopsies carried out in November failed to establish the cause of death.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Pollard said he is satisfied that following extensive inquiries and ‘‘a full and detailed range of toxicology tests, there is no evidence to suggest’’ third-party involvement in Perepilichny’s death.
If there were any connections to the Russian government the Jewish media would be squawking, so....
Police said Friday that toxicology samples taken from both autopsies came back clear and that the matter has been formally passed to the coroner for an inquest.
The force acknowledged frustration about the length of time it took to complete the inquiries, stressing that it was important to rule out foul play and put to rest speculation he had been poisoned — a possibility floated given the suspicious deaths of other Russians in the United Kingdom.
Can you smell the cover-up, hey?
The most prominent case was the death of Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB agent who died in London in 2006 after being contaminated with radioactive Polonium 210.
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FLASHBACKS:
"Lawyer: Killed Kremlin critic was UK spy" by Sylvia Hui | Associated Press, December 14, 2012
LONDON — Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian agent-turned-Kremlin critic, was a ‘‘registered and paid’’ agent working for Britain’s foreign intelligence agency when he died after being mysteriously poisoned, a lawyer representing his widow told an official hearing Thursday.
Another lawyer said the UK has evidence the Russian government was behind Litvinenko’s death.
Related: SERGEY SERYKH, LITVINENKO & THE RUSSIAN ISRAELI MAFIA
Yeah, blame it on the Russians my paper does.
The 43-year-old Russian died in November 2006 after drinking tea laced with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210 at a London hotel. Six years later, British authorities are reopening investigations into the shocking circumstances of his death.
On his deathbed, the former Russian FSB agent accused the Kremlin of being behind his killing, and his family has long demanded Russian authorities be held accountable.
The case has strained relations between the United Kingdom and Russia....
The inquest is expected to start in May.
Lawyer Ben Emmerson, representing Litvinenko’s widow, Marina, alleged that at the time of his death, Litvinenko was working for Britain’s MI6 spy agency and had been tasked to help Spanish intelligence investigate the Russian mafia. The UK inquiry must consider whether MI6 failed to properly assess the risks before sending the agent out on his assignment, Emmerson said.
But it's the Russian government behind the killing?
According to the lawyer, Litvinenko had been employed by MI6 for several years and frequently met with a handler from the agency known only as ‘‘Martin’’ in central London. Payments from both the British and Spanish intelligence agencies were made to a joint bank account held by the agent and his wife, Emmerson alleged....
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"UK refuses inquest on ex-spy’s death" by Jill Lawless | Associated Press, July 13, 2013
LONDON — British officials have refused to hold a public inquiry into the death of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, a coroner said Friday, quashing what he described as the best hope of finding out what lay behind the ex-spy’s radioactive poisoning.
Put it together yet?
Litvinenko’s widow, who blames the Kremlin for her husband’s death, accused Britain of putting relations with Russia ahead of uncovering the truth....
Nah, governments never do that!
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Also see: Britain's Piece of the Russian Rock
They gave it to the NSA.
