quarta-feira, 15 de dezembro de 2010

Russia's response to Litvinenko case may disappoint U.K. - Lugovoi

MOSCOW, December 15 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow's response to a European Court of Human Rights request to provide information on former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko poisoning is likely to disappoint Britain, London's main suspect said on Wednesday.
The Strasbourg court on Tuesday gave Russia until March 16 to provide information on the Litvinenko murder case. The ruling came after a complaint from his widow, Marina Litvinenko.
In the request, the court suspects Russia of involvement in Litvinenko's death, expresses doubt over the thoroughness of the probe into his murder and questions the possible role in it of agent-turned-businessman-turned-politician Lugovoi.
"If Russian prosecutors respond to this request, I think that this response will disappoint, first of all, Britain's Scotland Yard," Andrei Lugovoi, who has repeatedly denied involvement in Litvinenko's death, said.
Lugovoi said Russia's response will prove that Moscow has always been interested in the investigation of the murder, while London has hampered this process.
Litvinenko died of radioactive poisoning in London in November 2006. British investigators accused Lugovoi of murder, and demanded his extradition, sparking a major diplomatic row between the two countries. Britain asked Russia to extradite Lugovoi, but Russia refused. Lugovoi later became a member of Russia's lower house of parliament, gaining immunity from prosecution within the country. RIA Novosti