The Polonium Papers

Alexander Litvinenko, an ex-KGB officer, died of polonium poisoning in London last November. On May 22 Britain officially requested the extradition of Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoi, who had at least a dozen meetings with Litvinenko in London last year. In announcing the request, Ken Macdonald, head of public prosecutions in Britain, explained, "I have today concluded that the evidence sent to us by the police is sufficient to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Mr. Litvinenko by deliberate poisoning." The police report had been forwarded to his office in January, but Macdonald left unexplained why, if the evidence in the report was that compelling, his office sat on it for three months without taking any action. In any case, the extradition request was inoperative, since the Russian government had stated categorically in advance that it would not extradite a Russian citizen to a foreign country. While the belated request did little to advance the case, it ignited a media firestorm, with op-eds and screaming headlines around the world. The Cannes Film Festival even decided to screen a documentary on Litvinenko's death. As for the actual status of the evidentiary case, to date:

§ In Russia, prosecutors have not received an official statement from British authorities on the reasons for Litvinenko's death. Prosecutor General Yury Chaika reported May 25, "To date, the Russian prosecutor's office has not received any official documents or materials on the Litvinenko case...[or] seen the report from British medical experts on the official cause of Litvinenko's death."

§ In the absence of evidence, the Russian authorities have filed no charges in the Litvinenko case.

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