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U.K. police studying Russian request

Sandra Laville

London: British police are considering a request from their Russian counterparts to allow investigators from Moscow to question suspects in the U.K. as part of their investigation into the poisoning of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinkenko.

The Russian request is being considered at the same time as the British Government is preparing to demand the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi, a Russian businessman, to stand trial for the poisoning of Mr. Litvinenko.

A Scotland Yard file on the murder, which was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last week, is said to allege that there is sufficient evidence against Mr. Lugovoi for the CPS to decide whether he should face prosecution.

The Russians have already indicated they would be unwilling to hand over Mr. Lugovoi.

Sources within Russia's prosecutor's office have stated that a request would probably be refused because the Russian constitution prohibits the extradition of citizens.

British police are also keen to return to Russia to continue their own investigations and the competing interests of Moscow and London are likely to lead to intense diplomatic discussions this week.

Alexander Zvyagintsev, Russia's deputy prosecutor general, reportedly wants to question more than 100 witnesses and visit several of the sites in London where traces of polonium-210 were found. Some of those who officers will want to question are leading critics of President Vladimir Putin who have been the subject of repeated extradition requests in the past from the Kremlin.

The Russians have been carrying out a parallel investigation into the poisoning with polonium-210 of the former KGB officer on November 23. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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