In These New Times

Russia Today

11th November, 2009

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https://inthesenewtimes.com/index/

German prosecutors have dropped all charges of illegally trafficking nuclear materials against Dmitry Kovtun, linked to the murder of former Russian Security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko in London in 2006.

That’s according to his lawyer, Wolfgang Vehlow.

On Wednesday Vehlow received a written notification from the prosecutor’s office in Hamburg that Kovtun’s case had been closed and the investigation stopped.

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“I was ready for the case to be closed. I heard rumors a month ago, but I was waiting for written proof. And now my lawyer in Germany has it and I will receive it tomorrow. I was accused of illegal transportation of nuclear materials – this is nonsense; it’s like accusing someone of transporting swine flu, for example”, Dmitry Kovtun told RT.

The German prosecution filed a criminal case against the Russian businessman, who was suspected of smuggling nuclear materials after traces of polonium 210 were reportedly found at his house in 2006.

Kovtun was one of the three people who visited Aleksandr Litvinenko in the London hotel Millennium on the day Litvinenko was allegedly poisoned.

This lead to media suspicions of his participation in Litvinenko’s murder, but Kovtun was never officially accused in the poisoning.

Dmitry Kovtun was a business partner of Andrey Lugovoy, now a Russian State Deputy, who is Britain’s main suspect in Litvinenko murder case. London continues to demand Lugovoy’s extradition. Russia has refused to do this because there is no extradition agreement between Russia and UK.

Both Kovtun and Lugovoy denied any involvement in Litvinenko’s death. During the three years since the former Russian security officer died in London, UK officials have yet to officially declare a cause of death, or to publish results from the autopsy. Russian officials have suggested several times to the UK to present evidence of Lugovoy’s guilt, so that they can conduct an investigation in Russia. But the UK has yet to do that, according to Russian law enforcement.