Litvinenko: No Inquiry Into Spy's Death

The widow of poisoned Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko says she is "shocked and disappointed" that the Government has refused to set up a public inquiry into his death.

Coroner Sir Robert Owen earlier told a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice that his request to the Justice Secretary for an inquiry, in place of an inquest, had been turned down.

Sir Robert previously ruled that vital secret evidence could not legally be considered as part of a normal inquest and asked the Government to hold an inquiry instead.

His call was backed by Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina, who was at the hearing.

She said after the decision that although it was a blow, she was still "optimistic" that the full circumstances around her husband's death would be exposed.

Referring to the Government, which she branded "impolite and rude", she said: "Were they trying to protect the Russian state? Were they trying to protect national security secrets?"

Mrs Litvinenko believes her husband was poisoned on orders from the Kremlin

Mr Litvinenko, 43, was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 while drinking tea at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square in 2006.

The family believe he was working for MI6 at the time and was killed on the orders of the Kremlin.

Ben Emmerson QC, representing Mrs Litvinenko, said there had been an "utter lack of professionalism" in the way the Government handled the request for an inquiry.

"The repeated catalogue of broken promises is a sign of something gone awry," he said.

Alex Goldfarb, a Litvinenko family friend, said: "It's absolutely transparent that the Russian government is behind this murder.

"There's some sort of collusion behind the scenes with Her Majesty's Government and the Kremlin to obstruct justice."

Mr Emmerson said the family wants a judicial review into the decision not to hold an inquiry on the grounds of "irrationality".

Sir Robert had determined that he could not hear evidence linked to the alleged involvement of the Russian government in public after the Foreign Office said it wanted to keep some information secret.

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