Russian prosecutors have formally opened a criminal
investigation into the poisoning death of former spy Alexander
Litvinenko, and a related murder attempt on a Russian businessman,
the Prosecutor General's office said on Thursday in a
statement.
The statement said that the criminal investigation had been
launched as a result of inspections, which revealed that Litvinenko
died after being poisoned with a radioactive nuclide.
"The examination revealed that Litvinenko died after being
poisoned with a radioactive nuclide, and (Dmitry) Kovtun, who met
with Litvinenko in London in October 2006, was diagnosed with a
disease also connected with a radioactive nuclide," the statement
said.
Kovtun is the business partner of Andrei Lugovoi, whom Britain
views as a key suspect in Litvinenko's death probe.
Traces of radiation have been detected in the hotel rooms in
London where Lugovoi stayed in October and November, and on the
airliners in which he flew to Britain, Russian daily Kommersant
said on Wednesday.
The Russian chief prosecutor said on Tuesday that Russia would
not extradite to Britain possible suspects in the poisoning death
of Litvinenko but would help British police investigate the
case.
British detectives went to Moscow this week as the investigation
widened.
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said that a team of its
investigators may fly to London for investigations.
"We do not exclude that in case there is a need for a more
detailed investigation of the circumstances of the case, a team
from the Prosecutor General's Office may fly to Britain to work
locally," Marina Gridneva, a Prosecutor General's Office official,
was quoted by the Interfax news agency.
Also on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
"The inquiry by Scotland Yard is not affecting our political
relations."
However, he declined to comment on London's position on the
issue and asked people not to politicize the case. "I cannot speak
for Britain," he said.
"Attempts to spark a publicity campaign around this case and to
turn it into a political sensation have been bogged down, including
attempts by serious British media outlets," the minister added.
Lavrov said Russia had "expressed its readiness to help the
investigators and was still committed to contributing to the
investigation."
Litvinenko died of radioactive poisoning in London on Nov. 23.
Experts investigating his death have found radiation traces at a
dozen locations and on two British Airways planes that flew the
Moscow-London route.
(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2006)
