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| Russian Oligarch Was Depressed Before Death, Bodyguard Testifies | Russian Oligarch Was Depressed Before Death, Bodyguard Testifies |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| LONDON — A bodyguard working for Boris A. Berezovsky, a Russian oligarch and fierce adversary of the Kremlin who died a year ago under unexplained circumstances, said at an inquest on Wednesday that Mr. Berezovsky had been “very low” and depressed in the months leading up to his death following his defeat in a multibillion-dollar court case. | LONDON — A bodyguard working for Boris A. Berezovsky, a Russian oligarch and fierce adversary of the Kremlin who died a year ago under unexplained circumstances, said at an inquest on Wednesday that Mr. Berezovsky had been “very low” and depressed in the months leading up to his death following his defeat in a multibillion-dollar court case. |
| At the time, the police said that Mr. Berezovsky’s death at a luxury mansion near Ascot, west of London, was consistent with hanging but that while there were no signs of a violent struggle, the involvement of another person “cannot be completely eliminated, as tests remain outstanding.” | At the time, the police said that Mr. Berezovsky’s death at a luxury mansion near Ascot, west of London, was consistent with hanging but that while there were no signs of a violent struggle, the involvement of another person “cannot be completely eliminated, as tests remain outstanding.” |
| The bodyguard, Avi Navama, said he broke down a locked bathroom door to find Mr. Berezovsky lying on his back. | The bodyguard, Avi Navama, said he broke down a locked bathroom door to find Mr. Berezovsky lying on his back. |
| “He looked purple,” said Mr. Navama, according to the Press Association news agency. “I checked to see if there was any kind of pulse. I put my ear next to his mouth and was looking at his chest. I couldn’t find a pulse.” | “He looked purple,” said Mr. Navama, according to the Press Association news agency. “I checked to see if there was any kind of pulse. I put my ear next to his mouth and was looking at his chest. I couldn’t find a pulse.” |
| Asked if he could say why Mr. Berezovsky died, he replied, “I believe suicide.” | Asked if he could say why Mr. Berezovsky died, he replied, “I believe suicide.” |
| When he last saw Mr. Berezovsky, the night before his body was found, “he looked at me with very low, tired eyes,” Mr. Navama said. “Like he doesn’t know what to do.” | When he last saw Mr. Berezovsky, the night before his body was found, “he looked at me with very low, tired eyes,” Mr. Navama said. “Like he doesn’t know what to do.” |
| In Britain, inquests are held to establish the cause of death and do not generally ascribe blame. Mr. Navama was speaking as the inquest resumed in Windsor town hall after being adjourned shortly after Mr. Berezovsky’s death. | In Britain, inquests are held to establish the cause of death and do not generally ascribe blame. Mr. Navama was speaking as the inquest resumed in Windsor town hall after being adjourned shortly after Mr. Berezovsky’s death. |
| Mr. Navama’s testimony echoed assessments by friends of Mr. Berezovsky that he became depressed after his spectacular defeat in 2012 in a $5.1 billion lawsuit against a former business associate, Roman A. Abramovich, a Russian billionaire whose assets include the Chelsea soccer club and a string of businesses, luxury homes and yachts. | Mr. Navama’s testimony echoed assessments by friends of Mr. Berezovsky that he became depressed after his spectacular defeat in 2012 in a $5.1 billion lawsuit against a former business associate, Roman A. Abramovich, a Russian billionaire whose assets include the Chelsea soccer club and a string of businesses, luxury homes and yachts. |
| The defeat left Mr. Berezovsky with huge legal fees. Perhaps even worse was the damage to his reputation; the judge in the case called him “dishonest,” “unimpressive” and “inherently unreliable,” adding that he had “deluded himself into believing his own version of events.” | The defeat left Mr. Berezovsky with huge legal fees. Perhaps even worse was the damage to his reputation; the judge in the case called him “dishonest,” “unimpressive” and “inherently unreliable,” adding that he had “deluded himself into believing his own version of events.” |
| The defeat, Mr. Navama said, had been “the trigger of the change” in Mr. Berezovky’s mood. “His routine changed completely,” and he began spending all his time inside his room. | The defeat, Mr. Navama said, had been “the trigger of the change” in Mr. Berezovky’s mood. “His routine changed completely,” and he began spending all his time inside his room. |
| Mr. Navama added that Mr. Berezovsky “would say he’s not a billionaire, he’s the poorest man in the world.” | Mr. Navama added that Mr. Berezovsky “would say he’s not a billionaire, he’s the poorest man in the world.” |
| In a separate witness statement on Wednesday, Zoe Watson, Mr. Navama’s wife, said that on a trip to Israel after the court case, Mr. Berezovsky looked broken. | In a separate witness statement on Wednesday, Zoe Watson, Mr. Navama’s wife, said that on a trip to Israel after the court case, Mr. Berezovsky looked broken. |
| “His head was in his hands,” the statement said. “He was pale and shaking.” Both Mr. Navama and his wife said Mr. Berezovsky had spoken of suicide. | “His head was in his hands,” the statement said. “He was pale and shaking.” Both Mr. Navama and his wife said Mr. Berezovsky had spoken of suicide. |
| The coroner, Peter Bedford, asked Mr. Navama whether he was sure the body he found was that of Mr. Berezovsky. “No doubt,” the bodyguard said. The coroner also asked whether Mr. Berezovsky might have faked his own death. “It’s impossible,” Mr. Navama replied. | The coroner, Peter Bedford, asked Mr. Navama whether he was sure the body he found was that of Mr. Berezovsky. “No doubt,” the bodyguard said. The coroner also asked whether Mr. Berezovsky might have faked his own death. “It’s impossible,” Mr. Navama replied. |
| Mr. Berezovsky had been one of the most flamboyant of the tycoons who acquired great wealth after the fall of Soviet communism. | Mr. Berezovsky had been one of the most flamboyant of the tycoons who acquired great wealth after the fall of Soviet communism. |
| A former mathematics professor, Mr. Berezovsky maneuvered his way to the heights of power in Boris N. Yeltsin’s Kremlin in the 1990s before a bitter dispute with President Vladimir V. Putin in 2000 led him to flee into self-imposed exile in London, a base for émigrés seeking Mr. Putin’s ouster. | A former mathematics professor, Mr. Berezovsky maneuvered his way to the heights of power in Boris N. Yeltsin’s Kremlin in the 1990s before a bitter dispute with President Vladimir V. Putin in 2000 led him to flee into self-imposed exile in London, a base for émigrés seeking Mr. Putin’s ouster. |
| The British authorities offered him asylum and gave him travel documents under the name Platon Elenin. | The British authorities offered him asylum and gave him travel documents under the name Platon Elenin. |
| Mr. Berezovsky was closely associated with the former K.G.B. officer and whistle-blower Alexander V. Litvinenko, who died in late 2006 after ingesting a radioactive isotope, polonium 210, in a cup of tea at a London hotel. | Mr. Berezovsky was closely associated with the former K.G.B. officer and whistle-blower Alexander V. Litvinenko, who died in late 2006 after ingesting a radioactive isotope, polonium 210, in a cup of tea at a London hotel. |
| British prosecutors have accused another former K.G.B. officer, Andrei K. Lugovoi, of murdering Mr. Litvinenko, but Moscow has refused to extradite him, saying that its Constitution forbids such actions against Russian citizens. Mr. Lugovoi denies murdering Mr. Litvinenko. |