UK govt 'losing interest' in Litvinenko trial
Thursday, 22 May 2008 09:06
The Kremlin is refusing to budge on the issue
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Andrei Lugovoi's extradition to stand trial for the murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko is looking unlikelier than ever, it has been claimed.
One year has passed since the crown prosecution service (CPS) recommended Andrei Lugovoi be charged with the murder of Mr Litvinenko, who died from polonium-210 poisoning on November 23rd 2006.
Russian authorities refused to grant the extradition request, prompting the expulsion of four Russian diplomats from their London embassy.
The Kremlin responded with a tit-for-tat expulsion of four UK diplomats but, since then, the matter appears to have faded from prominence.
"Maybe both sides think this is not an issue to push," Dr Alex Pravda of Chatham House told
politics.co.uk.
"This is one strand of relations – business goes on pretty well. The Russians don't seem to be holding this as key to the issue [of UK-Russian relations].
Dr Pravda pointed out Mr Lugovoi's election as a deputy to the Russian parliament gives him independence from extradition for the present.
"Certainly the Russians hope it will diminish in salience and there will be other things that push forward in its place," he added.
A CPS spokesperson said the warrant issued for Mr Lugovoi's arrest "remains valid and is in existence".
And the Foreign Office explained that British officials would "continue to press the case with the Russian authorities".
"All we can do is continue to put our case," a spokesperson explained. "We're clear that he has a case to answer in UK courts."
Mr Lugovoi himself has repeatedly insisted he is innocent of Mr Litvinenko's death. He has previously claimed MI5 attempted to recruit him and pledged to clear his "honest" name.
Former Russian president Vladimir Putin described efforts by the British to secure Mr Lugovoi's extradition as "pure foolishness".