A Russian multi-millionaire who blew the whistle on a $230 million tax fraud probably died of natural causes rather than being the victim of a Kremlin-inspired mafia hit, a British coroner has found.
Alexander Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while jogging near his home on an exclusive estate in Surrey, southern England, some three years after fleeing from Russia where he faced threats over his role in a huge money laundering operation.
The coroner Nicholas Hilliard on Wednesday ruled out suggestions that Mr Perepilichnyy was murdered on the orders of Russian president Vladimir Putin or those close to him.
He said that he could not “completely eliminate all possibility he was poisoned” but said that he was satisfied that “I can properly and safely conclude that it was more likely than not that he died of natural causes.”
“There really is no direct evidence that he was unlawfully killed,” he added.
The case has been closely scrutinised for six years after initial police failures meant that opportunities to secure vital evidence including security camera footage and medical evidence were missed. Officers also lost samples of the contents of the dead man’s stomach and computer evidence about the case.
It emerged soon after his death that Mr Perepilichnyy had been giving evidence to Swiss prosecutors about a notorious Russian tax fraud carried out against an investment run by the US financier, Bill Browder. He had also spoken with officials from Mr Browder’s firm, Hermitage, before he died.
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Read more:
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Speaking after the inquest concluded on Wednesday, Mr Browder – who describes himself as Mr Putin’s enemy number one – said that the coroner was “working with a puzzle with only 20 per cent of the pieces because of Surrey Police’s incompetence”.
The findings in the case of Mr Perepilichnyy’s death came as relations between the two countries are in deep freeze following an assassination attempt of former double agent Sergei Skripal in UK soil in March.
The circumstances of Mr Perepilichnyy’s death have always been less clear-cut as he had never been a vocal critic of the Putin regime, unlike Alexander Litvinenko, an anti-Putin former agent who was killed in a Kremlin-ordered poisoning in 2006, or an alleged traitor like Mr Skripal.
Mr Perepilichnyy’s case was one of a number of suspicious fatalities involving UK-based Russians and their associates which were investigated for potential Russian state involvement. They included Boris Berezovsky, the oligarch and one-time Putin-backer, who police say killed himself at his home in the UK in 2013.
He had fallen out with Mr Putin and lost his fortune after a high-profile court battle with fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich but members of his family believe he was murdered.
Concerns were first raised over Mr Perepilichnyy’s death after it emerged that he acted as a “personal banker” for members of a Russian organised crime group that were involved in tax fraud.
A lawyer working on behalf of Mr Browder, Sergei Magnitsky, was arrested after uncovering details of the scam and died in prison after suffering brutal conditions. The case has led to countries including the US and Canada adopting “Magnitsky laws” to punish human rights abusers.
Mr Perepilichnyy came forward to speak with Mr Browder following the death of Mr Magnitsky, the inquest was told.
He took out a series of life insurance policies just before he died but did not employ bodyguards or change his travel patterns, suggesting he did not feel he was at imminent risk of murder, said Mr Hilliard.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
57%20Seconds
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en