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| Litvinenko inquest close to collapse after coroner rules crucial evidence secret | Litvinenko inquest close to collapse after coroner rules crucial evidence secret |
| (3 days later) | |
| The inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko is close to collapse after a coroner partially upheld an application by William Hague to keep crucial evidence secret. | The inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko is close to collapse after a coroner partially upheld an application by William Hague to keep crucial evidence secret. |
| The coroner, Sir Robert Owen, reluctantly agreed to exclude material from the inquest that suggested Russian state agencies were involved in Litvinenko's death. He also agreed to keep secret evidence that considered whether or not the UK authorities could have prevented Litvinenko's 2006 murder. | The coroner, Sir Robert Owen, reluctantly agreed to exclude material from the inquest that suggested Russian state agencies were involved in Litvinenko's death. He also agreed to keep secret evidence that considered whether or not the UK authorities could have prevented Litvinenko's 2006 murder. |
| In a judgment published on Friday afternoon, Owen acknowledged that his ruling meant the inquest scheduled to begin on 2 October could end up being "incomplete, misleading and unfair". He took the highly unusual step of inviting the government to hold a secret public inquiry into Litvinenko's killing, which would involve the sensitive excluded evidence heard behind closed doors. | In a judgment published on Friday afternoon, Owen acknowledged that his ruling meant the inquest scheduled to begin on 2 October could end up being "incomplete, misleading and unfair". He took the highly unusual step of inviting the government to hold a secret public inquiry into Litvinenko's killing, which would involve the sensitive excluded evidence heard behind closed doors. |
| Other parties to the inquest including Litvinenko's widow, Marina, as well as lawyers acting for the media, opposed Hague's application. On Friday, they said they were deeply dismayed by the ruling, which follows several days of secret hearings from which they were excluded. | Other parties to the inquest including Litvinenko's widow, Marina, as well as lawyers acting for the media, opposed Hague's application. On Friday, they said they were deeply dismayed by the ruling, which follows several days of secret hearings from which they were excluded. |
| "It would mark a low point in open justice if evidence concerning the responsibility for and preventability of the killing of Litvinenko were only heard in a secret hearing," Jan Clements, a lawyer acting for the Guardian and other media groups, said. | "It would mark a low point in open justice if evidence concerning the responsibility for and preventability of the killing of Litvinenko were only heard in a secret hearing," Jan Clements, a lawyer acting for the Guardian and other media groups, said. |
| The foreign secretary applied for a PII certificate on 7 February. He argued that if secret evidence were revealed it might damage "national security and/or international relations". He gave no further details. | The foreign secretary applied for a PII certificate on 7 February. He argued that if secret evidence were revealed it might damage "national security and/or international relations". He gave no further details. |
| Ben Emmerson QC, acting for Marina Litvinenko, vehemently opposed Hague's request and accused the government of a "cover-up". He said Hague and David Cameron were seeking to suppress material not for reasons of intelligence but so as not to damage Britain's trade interests with Moscow. The government, he told the hearing, was in effect "dancing to the Russian tarantella". | Ben Emmerson QC, acting for Marina Litvinenko, vehemently opposed Hague's request and accused the government of a "cover-up". He said Hague and David Cameron were seeking to suppress material not for reasons of intelligence but so as not to damage Britain's trade interests with Moscow. The government, he told the hearing, was in effect "dancing to the Russian tarantella". |
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