‘No evidence of third party’ in death of oligarch Berezovsky

The 67-year-old businessman was found dead at his Berkshire home on Saturday by a bodyguard, and specialist officers in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear substances examined the property before giving the all clear.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Brown, of Thames Valley Police, said: “It would be wrong to speculate on the cause of death until the post-mortem has been carried out. We do not have any evidence at this stage to suggest third party involvement.”

Berezovsky, who last year lost a multibillion-pound High Court battle with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, was reportedly found dead in his bathroom after apparently taking his own life.

On leaving the property, the paramedic who declared him dead at the scene had a radiation detector triggered, prompting the CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) experts to examine Berezovsky’s country pile, police said.

But yesterday they confirmed the home at Titness Park, Mill Lane, Ascot, was safe to work in.

The paramedic’s detector, a personal electronic dosimeter (PED), is a health and safety device used routinely by emergency services.

Det Ch Insp Brown continued to describe the death as “unexplained”.

“We are at the early stages of the investigation and we are retaining an open mind as we progress,” he said.

“The investigation team are building a picture of the last days of Mr Berezovsky’s life, speaking to close friends and family to gain a better understanding of his state of mind.

“We are acutely aware of the level of interest into his death and are focused on conducting a thorough investigation as we would with any unexplained death.”

It is thought that Mr Berezovsky was having serious financial difficulties after paying out astronomical sums in legal fees over the last few years, and wanted to return to Russia.

The oligarch could have run up over £100m in legal bills since 2011.

In July of that year, he paid out Britain’s biggest ever divorce settlement to ex-wife Galina Besharova. Reports suggested the deal was worth more than £100m.

He also ran up tens of millions of pounds in legal costs during his High Court battle with Mr Abramovich.

And he built up fees totalling more than £250,000 just two months after becoming embroiled in a case at the same court with his former partner, Elena Gorbunova, who sat at Mr Berezovsky’s side throughout much of his battle with Mr Abramovich.

Last week, the Daily Telegraph reported the Russian oligarch would attempt to sell Red Lenin, an Andy Warhol screen print valued at between £30,000 and £50,000 by Christie’s.

The artwork sold on Wednesday for £133,875 including the buyer’s premium, according to the auction house’s website.

In an interview on the eve of his death, Mr Berezovsky said he had lost “meaning” from his life and wanted to return to Russia. He said he had “underestimated how important” Russia was to him, and he felt uncomfortable as an immigrant in Britain.

Mr Berezovsky is believed to have written to President Vladimir Putin recently to float the idea of going back to his homeland.

If he did, he said he had no interest in engaging in politics and would focus on science.

The former mathematics professor was part of Boris Yeltsin’s inner circle in the latter years of his presidency, and became deputy secretary of Russia’s security council.

Mr Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000 after falling out with Mr Putin.

In fear of his life, he sought 
political asylum and moved 
to the South East of England, buying upmarket properties in Knightsbridge, London, and Berkshire.

The businessman survived a number of assassination attempts, including a bomb in his car that decapitated his chauffeur.

He became a vocal and strong critic of Mr Putin’s rule in Russia, where he had become a wanted man.