Kauza Litvinenko

 

 Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 26 of the Inquiries Act 2005
Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on 21 January 2016 

Part 10: Summary of conclusions

10.1 Alexander Litvinenko was born in Voronezh, Russia on 4 December 1962. He was
an officer in the Committee for State Security (KGB) and latterly the Federal Security
Service (FSB). He was dismissed in 1998 after he made public allegations of illegal
activity within the FSB.

10.2 Mr Litvinenko left Russia in 2000. He arrived in the UK with his wife and son on
1 November 2000. Mr Litvinenko was granted asylum in 2001 and became a British
citizen in October 2006.

10.3 In 2006 Mr Litvinenko was living with his family at 140 Osier Crescent, Muswell
Hill, London. He was a journalist and author. He also undertook investigatory work,
including preparing due diligence reports on Russian individuals and companies.

10.4 On the evening of 1 November 2006, the sixth anniversary of his arrival in the UK,
Mr Litvinenko fell ill. He was admitted to Barnet General Hospital on 3 November,
and was subsequently transferred to University College Hospital in central London
on 17 November. His condition declined. He became unconscious on 23 November.
At 8.51pm Mr Litvinenko suffered a cardiac arrest. Resuscitation was commenced
but terminated when it became clear that he would not regain spontaneous cardiac
output. Mr Litvinenko was pronounced dead at 9.21pm on 23 November 2006.

10.5 Throughout the time that Mr Litvinenko was in hospital, the doctors had been unable
successfully to diagnose his condition. In fact, the cause of his illness only became
clear several hours before his death when tests on samples of his blood and urine
sent to the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston confirmed the presence in
his body of extremely high levels of the radioactive isotope polonium 210. Subsequent
examination of Mr Litvinenko’s body and detailed testing of samples taken from it
confirmed that he had died as a result of being poisoned with polonium 210.

10.6 As to the medical cause of Mr Litvinenko’s death, I am sure of the following matters:
a. Mr Litvinenko died at 9.21pm on 23 November 2006 in University College Hospital,
having suffered a cardiac arrest from which medical professionals were unable
to resuscitate him
b. The cardiac arrest was the result of an acute radiation syndrome from which
Mr Litvinenko was suffering
c. The acute radiation syndrome was caused by Mr Litvinenko ingesting
approximately 4.4Gbq of polonium 210 on 1 November 2006

10.7 There is abundant evidence that Mr Litvinenko met Andrey Lugovoy and his associate
Dmitri Kovtun for tea at the Pine Bar of the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair during the
afternoon of 1 November 2006. The forensic evidence shows that the Pine Bar was
heavily contaminated with polonium 210. The highest readings were taken from
the table where Mr Litvinenko was sitting and from the inside of one of the teapots.
No comparable levels of contamination were found in any of the other places that
Mr Litvinenko visited that day.

10.8 I am sure that Mr Litvinenko ingested the fatal dose of polonium 210 whilst drinking
tea in the Pine Bar of the Millennium Hotel during the afternoon of 1 November 2006.
                                                         

 10.9 I have carefully considered the possibility that Mr Litvinenko ingested the fatal
dose of polonium 210 as the result of an accident. I have also considered whether
Mr Litvinenko might have taken the poison deliberately, in order to commit suicide.

10.10 I am sure that Mr Litvinenko did not ingest the polonium 210 either by accident or to
commit suicide. I am sure, rather, that he was deliberately poisoned by others.

10.11 I am sure that Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun placed the polonium 210 in the teapot at
the Pine Bar on 1 November 2006. I am also sure that they did this with the intention
of poisoning Mr Litvinenko.

10.12 I am sure that the two men had made an earlier attempt to poison Mr Litvinenko, also
using polonium 210, at the Erinys meeting on 16 October 2006.

10.13 I am sure that Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun knew that they were using a deadly poison
(as opposed, for example, to a truth drug or a sleeping draught), and that they intended
to kill Mr Litvinenko. I do not believe, however, that they knew precisely what the
chemical that they were handling was, or the nature of all its properties.

10.14 I am sure that Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun were acting on behalf of others when they
poisoned Mr Litvinenko.

10.15 When Mr Lugovoy poisoned Mr Litvinenko, it is probable that he did so under the
direction of the FSB. I would add that I regard that as a strong probability. I have found
that Mr Kovtun also took part in the poisoning. I conclude therefore that he was also
acting under FSB direction, possibly indirectly through Mr Lugovoy but probably to his
knowledge.

10.16 The FSB operation to kill Mr Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and
also by President Putin.
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