MI5 alert over death of Russian supergrass exile

The Sunday Times

MI5 is monitoring the mysterious death of a Russian supergrass after a second post-mortem examination on his body failed to rule out murder.

Alexander Perepilichnyy, a wealthy businessman who sought sanctuary in Britain three years ago after falling out with a crime syndicate and testifying against it, was found dead outside his luxury home on a private estate in Surrey.

Ministers are awaiting the results of further toxicology tests on the body for radioactive poisons including polonium 210. The same poison was used to murder Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB spy who died in London six years ago.

Perepilichnyy, who was 44 and apparently in good health, was co-operating with the Swiss authorities, who have been investigating allegations of money-laundering and a network of corrupt Russian officials.

The network is said to be led by Dmitry Klyuev, a convicted Russian criminal, who has been named by American and British politicians as the head of the so-called Klyuev crime group.

It emerged this weekend that the home secretary, Theresa May, has been told that Klyuev was allowed to fly into London from Moscow on a private jet on at least two occasions.

Even before Perepilichnyy’s body was discovered three weeks ago Mark Harper, the immigration minister, had privately signalled that further visits by Klyuev would be banned.

In a letter to Dominic Raab, the Tory MP whose Esher and Walton constituency is close to the scene of Perepilichnyy’s death, he said: “Where there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that an individual has committed human rights abuses or has convictions for serious criminal activities, the individual will not normally be permitted to enter the UK.”

The Klyuev group is alleged to be involved in a series of multimillionpound tax frauds. It has also been accused of links with officials involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a whistleblowing Moscow lawyer hired by Hermitage Capital, a British hedge fund, in Moscow. Magnitsky stumbled across the network while probing a fraud against the firm.

Klyuev could not be contacted but a friend said he denied any involvement in criminal activities.

Raab said: “This is the fourth mysterious death related to the Magnitsky case, the first on British soil.

There are serious questions to be answered over the cause of death and whether it is linked to evidence Mr Perepilichnyy gave about the role of state officials in the Magnitsky case.”

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