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Alexander Litvinenko killing suspect handed deadline for giving evidence Litvinenko inquiry judge suspects 'Kremlin manipulation' for no-show
(about 1 hour later)
A suspect in the killing of Alexander Litvinenko has been given a final chance to give evidence to the inquiry into the spy’s death after he was accused of manipulating the investigation. The judge presiding over the inquiry into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko has said he had the “gravest suspicions” the Kremlin was trying to manipulate proceedings after one of the Russian spy’s alleged murderers failed to show up.
Dmitry Kovtun was given a deadline of 9am on Tuesday by judge Sir Robert Owen to provide testimony by videolink from Moscow. Sir Robert Owen said he would give Dmitry Kovtun one final chance to give evidence on Tuesday at 9am.
He had asked to give evidence but gave the inquiry a string of reasons why he was unable to in the days before he was due to appear on Monday. Kovtun was originally scheduled to appear by videolink from Moscow for three days this week. Kovtun and another Russian, Andrei Lugovoi, are accused of smuggling radioactive polonium into Litvinenko’s green tea during a November 2006 meeting at the Millennium hotel in London. Both have refused to travel to the UK.
More details soon … In March, as the hearing was winding up, Kovtun suddenly indicated he wanted to take part. Owen granted him “core participant” status, which gave Kovtun – and presumably others in Moscow – access to 15,000 inquiry documents, excluding secret government files.
On Friday, however, it emerged Kovtun was now claiming his obligations to the Russian investigative committee meant he could no longer appear.
“In my mind [there is] the gravest suspicion that an attempt is being made to manipulate the situation,” Owen said on Monday.
He added that he was giving Kovtun a last window to testify so he would be unable to claim later that he had wanted to participate but had been turned down.
Ben Emmerson QC, counsel for Litvinenko’s widow Marina, told Owen: “I can only endorse your concern. It appears these proceedings are being manipulated in a coordinated way between Mr Kovtun, the murderer, and the Russian state which sent him to commit the murder.”
He added: “It’s a continuation of a collusion that began in 2006.”
Emmerson endorsed Owen’s decision and said that the inquiry, which began in January and was delayed for several months to accommodate Kovtun, had been “conducted openly, transparently and logically”.
The inquiry heard Kovtun had offered implausible and ridiculous explanations for his failure to give evidence. He claimed that he had been unable to find the Russian prosecutor and said he needed consent from Russia before he could participate. He also said he had signed a non-disclosure agreement.
On Friday, Richard Horwell, acting for Scotland Yard, said Kovtun had been engaged in a blatant fishing expedition. Its goal was to scoop up as much evidence as possible, he suggested.
Horwell said on Monday it was obvious what was happening. Far from respecting confidentiality, Kovtun had given an interview on Monday to the BBC, he pointed out. “Kovtun is speaking to journalists,” he said.
Kovtun’s apparent exit from the inquiry follows damning evidence on Friday from a German witness known as D3. According to D3, Kovtun confessed he was travelling to London to put a “very expensive poison” in the food or drink of Litvinenko, “a traitor” and a pig. “It’s meant to set an example,” Kovtun told D3.
The inquiry resumes on Tuesday. It ends this week with Owen’s report to the home secretary, Theresa May, due later this year.