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Lugovoi Faces Litvinenko Murder Charge

May 22, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- British prosecutors have recommended that criminal charges be brought against a Russian citizen for the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Aleksandr Litvinenko.

The announcement could further damage ties between Britain and Russia, already strained by the politically charged case.

Ken Macdonald, the head of Britain's Crown Prosecution Service, told a news conference in London that investigators have enough evidence to press criminal charges against Andrei Lugovoi, a wealthy Russian businessman with a past in the Soviet secret services.

"I have today concluded that the evidence sent to us by the police is sufficient to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Aleksandr Litvinenko by deliberate poisoning. I have further concluded that the prosecution of this case would clearly be in the public interest," Macdonald said.

Radiation Poisoning

Litvinenko died in a London hospital on November 23 after being poisoned with a rare radioactive substance, polonium-210.

On November 1, the day he fell ill, Litvinenko drank tea in the company of Lugovoi and another former KGB colleague, Dmitry Kovtun, at the Millennium Hotel in London. Tests revealed that the pot of tea was heavily contaminated with polonium, and several hotel staff have tested positive for low-level radiation contamination.

Both Lugovoi and Kovtun, who live in Russia, have denied any involvement.

Macdonald said the Crown Prosecution Service will seek Lugovoi's extradition to Britain.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Britain expects "full cooperation" from Moscow in bringing Lugovoi to face justice in London.

Lugovoi's prosecution, however, will be difficult to mount.

'Ridiculous' Accusations

The 43-year-old Litvinenko was a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he blamed for his murder in a deathbed statement.

Moscow has dismissed the accusation as ridiculous. The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office has said that Russia will not extradite any Russian suspects to Britain in the case.

In addition, Russia and Britain do not have an extradition treaty and the Russian Constitution doesn't allow for the extradition of its citizens.

The Crown Prosecution Service's announcement is likely to escalate diplomatic tensions between London and Moscow.

Russia is angered by Britain's refusal to extradite London-based Russian tycoon and Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky as well as Akhmed Zakaev, a top envoy of Chechnya's separatist leadership. Both were close to Litvinenko.

Berezovsky fanned tensions last month by calling for Putin's overthrow.

Both the British Foreign Office and the Crown Prosecution Service have denied a newspaper report claiming that investigators had come under pressure not to charge Lugovoi and Kovtun.

Britain's "News of the World" reported on Sunday (May 20) that Beckett pressured prosecutors to quietly drop the case in order to avoid upsetting the Kremlin.

(with material from agency reports)

Copyright (c) 2007. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org