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| Doubt Grips Litvinenko Inquiry Over Whether Russian Will Testify | Doubt Grips Litvinenko Inquiry Over Whether Russian Will Testify |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — The long-running inquiry into the poisoning death in London of a former K.G.B. officer, Alexander V. Litvinenko, was set to find out on Monday whether a prominent Russian suspect had withdrawn from the case as part of what British lawyers have called a deliberate attempt by the Kremlin to undermine the investigation. | LONDON — The long-running inquiry into the poisoning death in London of a former K.G.B. officer, Alexander V. Litvinenko, was set to find out on Monday whether a prominent Russian suspect had withdrawn from the case as part of what British lawyers have called a deliberate attempt by the Kremlin to undermine the investigation. |
| If the inquiry confirms that the suspect, Dmitri V. Kovtun, declined to testify, the reversal would inject a sense of disarray into the proceedings, since his evidence by video link from Moscow would have represented the only direct Russian participation in the hearings, which opened in January. | If the inquiry confirms that the suspect, Dmitri V. Kovtun, declined to testify, the reversal would inject a sense of disarray into the proceedings, since his evidence by video link from Moscow would have represented the only direct Russian participation in the hearings, which opened in January. |
| At the time of his death, Mr. Litvinenko was seen as a whistle-blower and a visceral opponent of President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Litvinenko’s family and legal team have accused Mr. Putin of being behind the poisoning, an accusation that Mr. Putin has dismissed. Mr. Litvinenko fled to Britain in 2000, seeking asylum, and he had secured British citizenship weeks before he died in November 2006. | At the time of his death, Mr. Litvinenko was seen as a whistle-blower and a visceral opponent of President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Litvinenko’s family and legal team have accused Mr. Putin of being behind the poisoning, an accusation that Mr. Putin has dismissed. Mr. Litvinenko fled to Britain in 2000, seeking asylum, and he had secured British citizenship weeks before he died in November 2006. |
| The British authorities have accused Mr. Kovtun, a former Soviet Army officer, and Andrei K. Lugovoi, a former K.G.B. bodyguard, of murdering Mr. Litvinenko. He died after drinking tea from a pot laced with a rare radioactive isotope, polonium 210, at an encounter with Russians including Mr. Kovtun and Mr. Lugovoi at an upscale hotel in central London. | The British authorities have accused Mr. Kovtun, a former Soviet Army officer, and Andrei K. Lugovoi, a former K.G.B. bodyguard, of murdering Mr. Litvinenko. He died after drinking tea from a pot laced with a rare radioactive isotope, polonium 210, at an encounter with Russians including Mr. Kovtun and Mr. Lugovoi at an upscale hotel in central London. |
| At first, it seemed the inquiry would unfold with no Russian rebuttal of the British prosecutors’ charges. Both suspects would be arrested on murder charges if they traveled to Britain. | At first, it seemed the inquiry would unfold with no Russian rebuttal of the British prosecutors’ charges. Both suspects would be arrested on murder charges if they traveled to Britain. |
| But in late March, as the inquiry was set to finish public hearings, Mr. Kovtun signaled a last-minute desire to offer his own version of events. | |
| Mr. Kovtun’s video-link testimony on Monday had been widely anticipated as a dramatic finale before Judge Robert Owen, the head of the inquiry, begins collating his findings ahead of a formal report expected before the end of the year. | Mr. Kovtun’s video-link testimony on Monday had been widely anticipated as a dramatic finale before Judge Robert Owen, the head of the inquiry, begins collating his findings ahead of a formal report expected before the end of the year. |
| But Judge Owen said on Friday that Mr. Kovtun had sent a message saying he feared he “would be committing an offense, contrary to Russian law, were he to give evidence unless the Russian authorities gave him permission to do so.” | But Judge Owen said on Friday that Mr. Kovtun had sent a message saying he feared he “would be committing an offense, contrary to Russian law, were he to give evidence unless the Russian authorities gave him permission to do so.” |
| The judge adjourned the hearings until noon on Monday, to enable the Russian side to rule on whether Mr. Kovtun was permitted to testify. | The judge adjourned the hearings until noon on Monday, to enable the Russian side to rule on whether Mr. Kovtun was permitted to testify. |
| Shortly before the hearing was to start, the BBC quoted Mr. Kovtun in an interview in Moscow as saying he would not testify because he had not been able to contact the appropriate Russian official to get permission. | Shortly before the hearing was to start, the BBC quoted Mr. Kovtun in an interview in Moscow as saying he would not testify because he had not been able to contact the appropriate Russian official to get permission. |