Litvinenko inquiry: Suspect's 'charade' criticised

The empty chair where suspect Dmitry Kovtun was expected, watched by Alexander Litvinenko's family

The chairman of an inquiry into the death of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko has criticised a suspect for failing to appear.

Sir Robert Owen said Dmitry Kovtun's desire to give evidence may have been "a charade" and accused Russian authorities of trying to subvert proceedings.

Mr Kovtun missed the 09:00 BST deadline to appear from Moscow by video link.

He said he could not get permission from Russian authorities to do so.

Former Soviet army officer Mr Kovtun, who announced in March that he wanted to testify, has told the inquiry that he will only communicate via email.

Empty chair

UK officials believe Mr Kovtun and another man, Andrei Lugovoi, poisoned Mr Litvinenko in 2006. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

The video link to Moscow was briefly activated to show an inquiry official sitting next to an empty chair.

Dmitry Kovtun told the inquiry he will only communicate via email

The official said he had been told by Mr Kovtun that he would not take part.

"He said he will not comment... he said he will do so by email communication."

Chairman Sir Robert Owen then gave a detailed account of the inquiry's dealings with both the suspect and Russian authorities.

He accused the Russian authorities of deliberately ignoring multiple requests to ensure everything was organised so several key witnesses could testify from Moscow.

He concluded by saying: "This unhappy sequence of events drives me to the conclusion either that Mr Kovtun never in truth intended to give evidence and that this has been a charade.

"Alternatively, if he has at some stage been genuine in his expressed intention to give evidence, obstacles have been put in the way of his doing so.

"In either case I will not have the progress of the inquiry further disrupted."

The inquiry continued and heard that Mr Litvinenko had told his father "Daddy, Putin has poisoned me" from his deathbed.

Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned and died in 2006

In a statement to police in 2006 Walter Litvinenko said his son was struggling to speak when he visited him in hospital.

Mr Litvinenko's father accused Russian President Vladimir Putin over his death - the claim has always been denied by the Kremlin.

He said his son told him that Mr Putin was a "dangerous man" and had said: "Daddy, be careful."

However, Walter Litvinenko later spoke of his regret at blaming Mr Putin and the Russian government for the killing and retracted the allegations he had made against them.

Mr Litvinenko, 43, had been an officer with the Federal Security Service - the successor to the KGB - but fled to Britain where he became a UK citizen and a fierce critic of the Kremlin.

In 2006, during a meeting with Mr Kovtun and Mr Lugovoi, Mr Litvinenko drank tea containing a fatal dose of the radioactive substance polonium-210.

Attempts to extradite Mr Kovtun and Mr Lugovoi have failed.

The inquiry was adjourned to Thursday, when closing submissions will be heard.