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Russia, UK Clash over Litvinenko Case
Russia has refused to hand over Andrei Lugovoy, the chief suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, to Britain. Officials said on Friday they would consider trying Mr. Lugovoy in the country, but Britain rejected the offer. Andrei Lugovoy is summoning a news conference on Thursday to give his viewpoint on the case.
Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said Friday he had told Attorney General Lord Peter Goldsmith that Andrei Lugovoy would be tried in Russia if London provided enough evidence. But Mr. Goldsmith said in a statement that he had told his Russian counterpart that he expected Russia to extradite Mr. Lugovoy.
Former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital last November after being poisoned by radioactive polonium-210.
Russian prosecutors say they cannot hand over Mr. Lugovoy as the constitution forbids the extradition of Russian citizens. Andrei Romashov, Andrei Lugovoy’s lawyer, said in an interview with Kommersant that Russia and Britain do not have a direct agreement on extradition, even for those suspected of terrorism.
Andrei Lugovoy reported that he is summoning a news conference on Thursday but did not elaborate. His lawyer noted that radioactive polonium-210 was found only on London-Moscow jets while planes which carried Mr. Lugovoy and his business partners from Moscow to the British capital were clear. Andrei Lugovoy argues that he was poisoned after meeting Mr. Litvinenko.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 28, 2007
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