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Russia, U.K. Spar Over Litvinenko Case NewsMax.com Wires MOSCOW -- Russia's top prosecutor said Friday that Russia could prosecute the chief suspect in the fatal poisoning of a former KGB agent if Britain presents enough evidence, but his counterpart in London demanded that the suspect face trial in a British court. The dueling comments highlighted the deepening disagreement and strained ties between the two countries over the only person to be formally accused of Alexander Litvinenko's death: Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoi. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service on Friday formally requested Lugovoi's extradition to face murder charges. Russian officials repeatedly have said Lugovoi cannot be extradited to Britain even though British officials have pressed for cooperation in the case, which has attracted international attention. Lugovoi, like Litvinenko a former member of the KGB and its main successor agency, the FSB, vehemently denies involvement. Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said he discussed the matter with British Attorney General Lord Goldsmith at a Group of Eight security meeting in Munich, Germany. "I told U.K. Attorney General Goldsmith that if the U.K. side provides us with evidence proving Lugovoi's guilt and we consider it sufficient, he may be prosecuted," Chaika said in televised comments. In a blunt statement released by his office, Goldsmith said that British officials expected "constructive and rapid co-operation from the Russian authorities in bringing this suspect before a British court." "This murder was committed on U.K. soil, the evidence is in the U.K., a U.K. citizen was killed and other people put at risk and it is therefore right a suspect should face justice in a U.K. court," Goldsmith said. Story Continues Below
Litvinenko, in a deathbed statement, accused President Vladimir Putin of being behind his poisoning with the rare isotope polonium-210. The former Russian agent had also accused Russian authorities of being behind the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya. He earlier co-wrote a book alleging that the FSB was behind apartment bombings in 1999 that Russia used as justification for resuming its war against Chechen separatists. Speculation of Kremlin involvement was augmented by questions over Russia's willingness to cooperate in the investigation. Scotland Yard sent investigators to Russia in December but they were not allowed to question Lugovoi or other figures; they were allowed to sit in on Russian interrogators' questioning. Russia, meanwhile, launched a parallel investigation, sending investigators to London to question figures, including billionaire tycoon Boris Berezovsky and Chechen separatist envoy Akhmed Zakayev. Both were part of Litvinenko's circle in London and, like him, are Kremlin critics who were granted asylum in Britain. Russia has pushed for the extradition of both men for years. Chaika said he briefed Goldsmith on Russia's investigation, and "everything is being done in constructive cooperation with U.K. colleagues." Lugovoi is one of three men who met in London with Litvinenko on Nov. 1, the day Litvinenko said began to fall ill.
© 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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