The High Court of London called the actions of Dmitry Kovtun “manipulation of English justice”

Dmitry Kovtun, one of Scotland Yard's suspects in the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, had to decide today whether he would testify in the case or not.

Back in March of this year, Kovtun voluntarily expressed a desire to become an interested party in the process taking place in London and testify via video link from Moscow (if he arrives in London, he will be immediately arrested - V. Ch. ). What was unexpected: the second suspect, Kovtun's friend Andrei Lugovoi, categorically refused to testify, explaining this by “distrust” of the London court. Judge Robert Owen then announced a break for 4 months in order for Kovtun to prepare for the process and get acquainted with the case materials.

However, last Friday, literally two days before testifying, Kovtun sent a letter to the court informing the court that his speech was impossible. He referred to the fact that British justice did not provide him with guarantees that he would not violate Russian law by his speech. According to Kovtun, with his testimony, he allegedly can divulge the secret of the investigation - and after all, he signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, which is also investigating the murder of Litvinenko.

According to the Investigative Committee, conducting investigative actions on the territory of the Russian Federation without the consent of the Russian authorities (this also applies to the interrogation of Kovtun via video link through a foreign Internet provider) constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of the Russian Federation. The UK made a request to Russia four months ago, but the request remained unanswered.

What prevented Kovtun and the Investigative Committee from reporting the reasons for the impossibility to testify earlier, because from the end of March to the end of July, the High Court deliberately went on a long break so that the witness could prepare. The widow of Marina Litvinenko and her lawyers have an answer to this question - the Investigative Committee is simply manipulating the High Court and trying to drag out the process, during which details unfavorable for the Russian side may be revealed. As for Kovtun, who, as the lawyers believe, is controlled by the Investigative Committee, he was not going to testify from the very beginning, but demanded this only in order to again delay the process.

“From the very beginning it looked like a game,” Marina Litvinenko told Novaya Gazeta.

Judge Robert Owen is also not pleased with Kovtun's actions, however, last Friday he gave the accused until Monday to resolve procedural issues with the UK. However, this Monday, Kovtun asked for more time. After hearing the parties, Robert Owen decided to give the Russians one last chance - until 9 am Tuesday. As the judge emphasized, he does this so that Mr. Kovtun does not later say anywhere that he allegedly was not given time. If Kovtun is not determined by 9 am Tuesday, the trial will continue without him.

It is noteworthy that on July 24, one of the main witnesses, passing under the code D3 for security purposes, appeared before Kovtun in the High Court. This is an old friend of Kovtun, a resident of Hamburg, with whom he spent the night on October 30, 2006 before flying to London.

D3 then decided that Kovtun was fantasizing, but three weeks later he read about it in the newspapers and reported that conversation to the police. In addition, according to the witness, Mr Kovtun contaminated his mattress with radioactive polonium.