Berezovsky wanted in Brazil

Whilst Western relations with Moscow deteriorate, and David Milliband expels Russian diplomats from London, it is puzzling that newspaper in the west have missed a report about a criminal being harboured by the British government. There doesn't seem to be any realisation that Putin's regime might be entitled to see an element of equivalence between the desired extradition of Alexander Luguvoi and that of a self-confessed plotter of violent insurrection, wanted for serious financial crimes not only in Russia but now also in Brazil.

Comments

Hernandez said…
I'm not sure about Russians. They all seem a bit untrustworthy to me, and drink far too much vodka. Read a couple of good articles in teh Daily Mail and it seems that Putin is a bit of a maniac. If it comes down to trusting the British Government or the Kremlin, I know who I'd trust.
16 July 2007 at 18:56
Hernandez said…
I don't think you can equate Berezovsky and Lugovoi situations. Berezovsky is wanted by the Kremlin simply because he is perceived as an enemy of Russia and a nemesis of Putin. Although he is no doubt a deeply unpleasant character involved in shady financial dealings, he hasn't been implicated in the murder of an innocent person on foreign soil as far as I am aware. His financial crimes are no less than Roman Abramovich's (or any of the other oligarchs that benefited during the 1990s) However, there is enough evidence to suggest that Lugovoi is guilty of murder, and Russia's refusal to extradite him is effectively a slap in the face to the British judicial system. I wonder what the Russians would do if the situation was reversed? Surely even yourself, Checkist, must realise that this is simply a case of Putin ensuring that Lugovoi doesn't reveal the truth not only about who gave the order to murder Litvinenko, but also about all the other atrocities orchestrated by him.
19 July 2007 at 22:41
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