mind your words one over russia's opposition leaders finds himself red faced as leaked phone conversations threaten to damage his relationships with allies that he labeled as cowardly penguins. now a suspect or a victim nextel going off speaks to former security officer under the look of boy with the british authorities claiming that he is the main in the murder plot of alexander litvinenko to stay with us at. and welcome to. the show party. and today my guess is that. this political season brought the case back into the world the british authorities

keep claiming and for now a russian n.p. is the main suspect in the murder plot has dramatically changed it is a test launch an investigation into the attempted murder considering everything. what's true and how will this matter keep supporting. is there any chance that both sides will finally turn to. victim the suspect himself the former security officer turned politician liberal democrat. british citizen i'm sure my k.g.b. operative alexander litvinenko died in london five years ago his death was later attributed to poisoning with rare and expensive polonium two hundred ten which made the case a true story andrei lugovoy who was the last one to meet with him and then called before he was rushed to hospital is reduced chief suspect by the russian side treat

him as a big and conducts its olympics to geisha moscow's refusal to extradite lugovoy after the killing has long soured its relations with longer. welcome to the show and the evil over his first of all i'd like to congratulate you on your reelection to the state duma kept a seat in the parliament true we needed and will continue to work for the benefit of russian. trade. to the case you have been involved in russia with i sees as far as i understand russia has never stopped his program to look for one cold case and you have now been officially found to be a victim why did investigators announce the decision just recently five years since those events took place in london walked in the investigators uncover new evidence yes and it's something i'd like to point out is during these five years russian investigators have been quite active they questioned a large number of witnesses personally i had to testify several times

a year as i understand they managed to get some new information and since we're talking about the radioactive substance called polonium two ten this to gators how to conduct some serious examinations they must have been very complicated because it's apparently was the first time law enforcement ran into such a kind of substance use obviously they got some data from these examinations at the same time they were detectives kept working of course i don't know any details of their attitude is so based on all of that is lead investigator made the decision he made. russian investigators say that the late listening. to the polonium at that i've used the two to improper handling. one yet they allege that he was attempting to sell it's. and they say that was exactly well meeting with you in your pardon mr colton though in your thought that he was handling the polonium improperly even is that true we don't. have to it was my theory it was me tree

kaufman and myself who suggested that litvinenko may have been poisoned for improper handling of polonium you know much the same way you may have improper handling of a firearm for example natural in the course of these five years we conducted our own investigation perhaps we can truly call it in this to give but at least we often pondered trying to figure out what could have been the cause for the russian investigators i don't know what theories they're looking at because they don't tell . us anything about it but what's important is that they're able to question and conduct examinations involving russian citizens in two thousand and seven when russian investigators went to london they were denied the right to question anyone except for borys it is also anyone with very soft skin the transcript of the questioning appeared later on the internet and it was told in an interview not interrogation and there's also give them a budget in contrast to scotland yard who was not limited in its activities during their treatment or russia and after they questioned us we were not allowed to cite

any of the facts mentioned there because we sign a non-disclosure agreement. they know that the russian investigative committee has arrived at this new conclusion does it intend to go over to london for further investigation of what is the next step of course. you probably won't believe it but the fact is that over these five years russian investigators have received only one a formal request from the british authorities but their request for extradition so suddenly in their turn russian this to gators have filed more than ten requests asking their british counterparts if you conduct certain activities examinations in questioning of some witnesses unfortunately the u.k. never replied to any of the requests submitted by the russian prosecutor general's office which maybe the u.k. does not respond to because its extradition request was declined. because here's what i have to say on the issue many countries in the world do not hand over their citizens and i do not rule out that the u.k.

and the us have similar laws in fact every year russian courts hear about three kind would cases where russian citizens are accused of crimes they committed abroad to please upload requests from abroad you feel they committed a crime outside russia or the country in question gathers evidence and since it's going over to russia through official channels. the fact that russia's law enforcement has named you a victim in this case that it appears is actually a blessing for you that you're not facing the calls here you guys if you're not. viewed as a murder suspect in russia any longer let me defect i've never been regarded as a suspect i was a witness in the case anyway this is positive news for me personally as well as my lawyers and the prosecutor general's office have called on scotland yard to send all were all of the evidence or for their investigation there are many documents in this case we have never received the results of the examination. positive news for you know what we have to remember about the price you had to pay for it you were exposed to radiation were significant was the damage to your health it was serious

enough to detect the early symptoms over radiation sickness it was a serious as that which you would believe but what you said to us was because you had treatment yes i did i had to spend about a month in a hospital that was moscow clinical hospital number six which is now part of the federal medical my logical center was employed specialists who previously work its nuclear power stations and so on the treatment involved many intricate procedures so we had to do a long list of tests every day and samples were analyzed using some complex math formulas and thanks to prompt intervention by russian doctors the disease was nipped in the bud. because it would. have any symptoms and no long term effects on your health that we still know there have been no effects except for the fact that i have to do medical checkups more often than the regular person or up to two or three times a year if that other doctor's advice is to sell it yes sort of pretty useless fine

russian list to get is now say that full of you cover littering. where victims in this case should be but who do they accuse of. attempted murder would be that it was well i believe it is as follows. with any crime you should look for a person who benefited the most from it i did not have any motive to kill it the man and in fact he's family thinks so too. so who could benefit in this case. moore is very soft. for me personally he's among the prime suspects and look let's not forget that it was. very soft to get political asylum in the u.k. . came up with a story about a former soviet citizen who was supposedly assassinated with a poison pen my lawyers told me about that case they have free access to it's near to the peepers looks an income was the only witness in the case of barry's office getting political asylum it's true i didn't and then. it's true that very soft he

was granted political asylum illegally six months before the left litvinenko without any money it's important to realize that litvinenko lived off the loans provided by the resolve and stayed together with your family in a house owned by very soft even though there is also often says that he helped you can encode to get an apartment the truth is that the house still belongs to barry's soft skin lynton enclosed we know does not deny that it is. said that your initial theory was improper handling of radioactive materials is probably just a word now you're saying it was better is off scale benefited the most from litter an enclosed. to accuse berezovsky of being behind this tragic event do you still think you happened by accident. or natural it's not like cars have only one theory i can give you two more possible scenarios for example according to

littering call himself he was actively involved in what he said was exposing russian mafia and the murder could have been intervened. the reports did mention the name of some spaniard yes also listen in close widow confirmed that he worked for the intelligence service or for the security service i'm not sure which they have subordination so he could not have acted on his own initiative this whole story geopolitical caution and it was a huge scandal no doubt about that. i just want to police it on the timeline in two thousand and seven the murder of anna politkovskaya the death of lithuanian car in two thousand and eight the conflict between south a city in georgia there was a whole chain of high profile events the latest the which is hillary clinton's statement that the russian parliamentary election was a legitimate also this murder could have played into the hands of some circles so preditions maybe american society look at them but as you know after not society but some political forces british secret services did have played

a big role in all the cars so you don't accuse anyone they just say you had several theories but anyway the trail first leads to bear results it was very soft you could prove bill clinton in court to make clear his kinds of allegations it was berezovsky who made lytton in coal leave russia in i think it was beer is also british secret service his approach to first base just personal and that it was only a part of a business partners of other. in fact we did not have any falling out there was no plan mitzi of prior to this event being even after the death of luton income and despite the fact the various off season he was making those allegations it's very self skews family members while in london were protected by russian border guards from security agency in moscow the contract was not canceled until two thousand and eight so there is off family that they're currently had a reason to trust me he didn't really see us will badri patarkatsishvili i last

talked to him but that in two thousand any it was which was a year and a half since the death of lipman in several days before his own death was announced in sociability it was because all skews closest friend and partner that any of he did not believe i did it with and stayed in touch with me so personal animates he had nothing to do with it perhaps somebody would like it to be this way but that's not true says a little boy four were security officers spotlight the will be back shortly our poor break so stay with us will continue this interview in blast that really. here in bygone days dogsleds were vital to get around. but today they're more leisure than lifeline. one drives people to quit their modern lives and settle in remote woods. one finds them up to

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russia would be so much brighter if you had ballots from things crashing. down totty dot com. welcome back to spotlight i would love and just to remind you that my guest on the show today is on the low gravity. of the i let me quote alexander litvinenko as we doe i think she said among other things i should like you to show some courage and come to london and until your side of the story to the british court what sort of summer but it's got

a lot of periods in london since litvinenko was murdered what do you do you intend to go there at some point yes of course there was more i would like to tell you that i signed a contract with a major british legal firm this summer associated to my interests in london are now represented by british lawyers league corners scored at its first the session on my case in october. lowers who were there soda by the way a previous of a fund out about the hearing by accident and then when you were not notified about the hearings so if it was not for that kind students either they could as easily accuse me once again of hiding from a justice my lawyers appearance at the coroner's court was a shock to them since no one expected me to be represented there a tall as elian we made several statements demanding that hearings be conducted in that standard format we also demanded the status of a party in interest in the case so in the study corners court is quite an interesting institution there's nothing like that in other european countries it was the coroner's court that used to identify the cause of the. before the case

goes to. the corners court does not convict but it gives all parties involved an opportunity to state their positions and certain court documents we called for an expanded hearing just like the british government and scotland yard and the crown prosecution service objected because they don't want the documents in the case to be made public the lieutenant goes we are also called for a wider inquest so now we are waiting for the next hearing which will probably take place early next year in the. case has for years been the main stumbling block in russian british lation spotlight has more on this story. the last ten years have seen moscow's relations with london more of the by mutual aspinall shelagh ations and extradition disputes though it in and case caused the russian british relations plunged to caldwell levels of the relations have recently improved. remains part of the gender of their three high profile meeting between

the two countries politicians aleksandr litvinenko a former russian security officer fled russia in two thousand escaping legal charges of abusing his power at work in two thousand and one he was granted political asylum in london where he became a journalist and a writer criticizing the kremlin spolar says in two thousand and six litvinenko fell ill the doctors established he had been poisoned by a rare and expensive radioactive matto poor between one could died three weeks later on the day he fell ill that even then commander russian businessman andrey lugovoy and me trick often british investigators can see those who were to be the chief suspect in the case and want him extradited to the u.k. russian laws does not allow for russian citizen to be extradited to other countries without a trial at home but british officials have refused to send their evidence to russian

investigators the russian investigative committee has meanwhile declared lugovoy was also a victim of poisoning as he was exposed to pool or knew him and had to undergo serious treatment in moscow. how do you feel about the fact that many people consider you personally love with to be the main hurdle that is preventing the russian u.k. relations from improving their rights or certain extent. you know i have thought about it i find it a little strange difficult to come to terms with the idea that i am now a historical. figure that he so to speak. not in the sense that i have to reform some great deed of course it is just strange to be an issue that to be construed as cannot agree on my position is that the british side and using entirely to blame for that idea who. let us return to the current us call it. didn't is very typical for the u.k.

court system. said the court is to determine the cause of. the current us courts recognize the name wasn't typed killed or doesn't support your version about him and as a result of an accident. the court has yet to look into that who would be hearing this preliminary its objective was to determine the interested parties in the case these parties have been recognised myself mr litvinenko representatives of the u.k. government on the court's own initiative mr coughed and unless i'm mistaken there is no suggestion was made to recognise the russian government as an interested party as well i don't know that for certain but losing it all i know is that the coroner's court has submitted some questions to the russian embassy which is i understand. sized the same question he says over and over whether we are him please of the. begin i have to repeat that that we were employees of the k.g.b.

during the use a saw a period and then we work for the federal guard service. i didn't actually question is whether if as he blew up residential houses in moscow in one thousand nine hundred ninety provoke a war in chechnya these questions have nothing to do with the case as knew they were still in the past couple of years you have been the owner of a private security firm right. there yes yes that's right it's a private security firm but that's just the main business and apart from that we also had stakes in a large number of other companies decision circles and i said let's get back to the courts the easiest way to stop. the cause of death is to started a post. as far as i know to date no one except for those who did the examination you didn't actually see and of course some of the other papers delivered to the coroner's court there were not even when the coroner who presided over the course put its question to the official from the crown prosecution service explaining that he needed to decide on whether to hold an expanded door closed hearing it was

a barrister from scotland yard stood up and requested the court to put off the hearing for two weeks because they needed together some more documents two months have passed since this court session has not taken place nor his scotland yard provided the papers. i don't think there could be any new information as far as post-mortem papers are concerned whatever they were filled in five years ago when who can say the same information until their turn to dust up in the archives you will know exactly maybe scotland yard was not prepared for such a situation maybe they expected this first hearing which was a preliminary one take some decision. there were also reports in the. that the crown prosecution service was told in some new evidence on the case was handed over by scotland yard if you heard anything about that evidence i don't think it's anything serious must be just the media report in the journalist must've misinterpreted the facts at the coroner's court hearing the officers of scotland

yard rose up and said they needed two more weeks to hand over the remaining papers to the prosecution service would you maybe there is a certain procedure maybe it's do you do something else where you can my lords doubt that there could be new documents what's more likely is that they just need to provide more people or some type of those that they submitted along with the extradition request also heard another interesting interpretation russian investigators say you're no longer a suspect and a witness say no longer a witness but the victim yes. is it possible that the british authorities move mr to be a friend of yours who. from the witnesses latest onto the list of suspects this really is is it possible now. i read of such an option in the paper of a reporter from the sunday times. because they're always taking an aggressive stand it was apparently were in the same newspapers which you know if that happens i will discontinue it any contact with the british side and i will not comment in any way

participate in this case why is that then that it's ok to suspect you but not ok to suspect they weren't suspecting me that's all very messed up but when the truth is that there is no new evidence i must tell you that that meeting of ours and was in there ever captured by anyone. as to how many people there were and who they were because the location and we used that was not equipped with surveillance cameras and it's also unclear what foundation there can be for prosecutions to come up with any charges to be merely polonium traces in regard to that i'd like to say once again that alone was a substance that requires some very serious studies i don't know whether what i'm going to suggest this possible for legal reasons i just have this idea if there are x. person russian experts in britain why not submit both these reports to some third country with a reliable expertise in nuclear materials so that they could carry out an unbiased

. you just mentioned that one of the theories is that litvinenko was employed by a british secret service as. something you've always been saying there was no proof to back it up if this is been proved in the court and breaking it in that that indeed collaborated with britain's secret services russia would just this make your position stronger. i think it does but first of all whenever i was seeing i was accused of lying and now it turns out that i was right so now it's the other side and that's lying that's one thing or another thing is and that's something i want to emphasize which is the british secret services are a very serious secret organization with strict subordination between employees and different levels and therefore no matter what lieutenant could did he could not have done it on his own initiative and finally this is going to prove all my previous statements to be true that being an undercover british agent and listening to travel to georgia that you would cross the georgian border and through the gorge

would further cross border to chechnya and i think to cardinal kerry as well. ok fine. two thousand which written has charged a number of russian citizens with a spear and there were a series of spies candles. do you think that britain's obsessional scene spies approach was triggered all of the so-called polonium scandal or isn't perhaps true that russia's secret service has a soul really active in great britain. you know the secret services are a separate room no matter what the relationship is like it's when two states they always do their work over it i'll give you one example back in the soviet times when russia was rance with the warsaw pact states he's sure me for instance that on their secret services still work against each other to wipe off that and that's why i can accrue a shot especially if you consider who those ten russian undercover agents arrested in the us were swapped for i see it three out of four worked for m i six strange isn't it he's our operatives were arrested in the us but the swap was with britain

and i mean again that's the game's secret services play it's just about thank you very much for being with us and just the rumor and get it right get publish ok well i'm getting a little goggle politician and former security and the third for all of us if you want to test yourself out like you could always go. back a little bit and comment on what's going on in and outside russia until then they on our team and we take.

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