UK condemns Lugovoi extradition refusal
Tuesday, 10 Jul 2007 12:52
Andrei Lugovoi extradition rejected
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The British government has condemned Russia's decision to block the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
UK prosecutors today revealed that Russian authorities had formally rejected the request due to its constitution ruling out the extradition of its own citizens.
In response, the Foreign Office said that Moscow's stance was "unacceptable".
Mr Litvinenko, a former KGB agent, died at a London hospital last November after being administered with a fatal dose of the radioactive isotope polonoium-210.
He claimed on his deathbed that the Russian government was responsible for his murder and since then relations between Russia and the UK have been strained by speculation that an assassination could have been carried out on British soil.
Britain's extradition request for 43-year-old Mr Lugovoi, who is himself an ex-KGB officer, was discussed with Russian president Vladimir Putin with then-prime minister Tony Blair at last month's G8 summit in Germany.
"We've consistently said the murder of Alexander Litvinenko was a serious criminal matter. Hundreds of British citizens and visitors to the capital were put at risk," a Foreign Office statement said today.
"Russia's reply is unacceptable. We will consider our response with the deliberation and seriousness that it deserves."
The director of public prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald QC, had earlier revealed: "The Russian response has now been conveyed to us and the Russian authorities have declined to extradite Andrei Lugovoi. They have said that they are prepared to put Mr Lugovoi on trial in Russia if the evidence is forwarded to them.
"The allegation against Mr Lugovoi is that he murdered a British citizen by deliberate poisoning and that he committed this extraordinarily-grave crime here in our capital city. The appropriate venue for his trial is therefore London."
Downing Street meanwhile says Russia's refusal is both "extremely disappointing" and "deeply regrettable".