Prosecutor's negotiations

UK prepares for visit of Russian investigators

A senior official from the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, who has arrived in the capital of the United Kingdom, is discussing with his British colleagues the details of the upcoming visit of a group of Russian investigators. Back in January, the Russian authorities sent a letter to London with a request to allow an investigative team from Moscow to interrogate a number of people in the British capital who, as the Prosecutor General's Office believes, could shed additional light on the “Litvinenko case.” Former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko died in London under mysterious circumstances in November 2006 due to radioactive poisoning.

They waited so long for a response that the Russian Foreign Ministry even issued a statement expressing regret over such a long delay in considering the Russian request. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that this is happening “against the backdrop of the Russian side’s demonstrated readiness for prompt and constructive interaction on this issue at the professional level.” In December 2006, British investigators visited Russia and conducted the interrogations they needed.

And finally, as Vremya Novostey was told at the Russian Embassy in Great Britain, an official response was received last week. From it we can conclude that the British authorities, in principle, do not object to the arrival of employees of the Russian prosecutor's office. But at the same time, London would like to clarify exactly how and in what areas the Moscow investigative team will work.

For this purpose, an official representative of the Prosecutor General's Office arrived in the British capital late on Monday. Since Tuesday, the officer, whose name has not been released, has been discussing all the details of the upcoming visit with Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service. Judging by the fact that his departure is scheduled for February 24, many questions have accumulated.

As a source in Scotland Yard told VN, the parties will have to agree on the lists of people to be interrogated, as well as agree on exactly how conversations with them will take place. According to the London Independent newspaper, there are more than a hundred names on the Russian list. Among them are Boris Berezovsky, Akhmed Zakayev and other persons whose extradition Russia is seeking. Scotland Yard sent letters to all these people asking if they were willing to meet and talk with Moscow investigators.

Mr. Berezovsky has already stated that he is ready to answer the investigators' questions . However, he insists that the interrogation cannot take place at the Russian embassy for fear of “provocations.” He also demands that before the meeting, representatives of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office be subjected to control "for the presence of certain toxic substances and for the presence of weapons."

Zurab NALBANDYAN, London