Berezovsky house given all-clear by hazard police

The exiled businessman, who last year lost a multibillion-pound High Court fight with Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, was found dead at his home in Berkshire on Saturday.

Scenes of crime officers continued a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances of his death once the CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) experts had examined the country pile as a precaution.

Police said they had relaxed the cordon around the property in Mill Lane in Ascot.

Superintendent Simon Bowden said: “In light of the findings of the specially trained officers who carried out the CBRN examination as a precaution, the majority of the cordon which was put around the perimeter of the property has now been lifted.

“One small road block remains in Mill Lane outside the entrance to the property’s grounds. The roads in the area are open and traffic is flowing freely.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents in the area for their patience in the initial stages of the investigation and apologise for any inconvenience which may have been caused by the cordon.

“However we needed to ensure that all precautions were taken prior to entering the property. I am pleased to say the CBRN officers found nothing of concern in the property and we are now progressing the investigation as normal.”Body still at the property

A police spokesman added that the body is still in the property.

Lord Tim Bell, the advertising and PR executive, confirmed the death of the oligarch.

A spokesman for his company, Bell Pottinger, said Mr Berezovsky was found at his home in Ascot, Berkshire.

“His body was found by his bodyguard,” he said.

It has been widely reported that the former mathematics professor had taken his own life, but this has not been officially confirmed.

Member of Yeltsin’s inner circle

Mr Berezovsky was part of Boris Yeltsin’s inner circle in the latter years of his presidency, and became deputy secretary of Russia’s security council.

He acquired his fortune in the 1990’s after the privatisation of state assets following the collapse of Soviet Communism.

Mr Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000 after falling out with President Vladimir Putin.

In fear of his life, he sought political asylum and moved to the South East of England, buying upmarket properties in Knightsbridge, London, and Berkshire.

The businessman survived a number of assassination attempts, including a bomb in his car that decapitated his chauffeur.

He became vocal and strong critic of Mr Putin’s rule in Russia, where had become a wanted man.

Shades of Litvinenko

In 2006 the Kremlin accused foreign-based opponents of poisoning to death former KGB spy-turned-dissident Alexander Litvinenko.

It was thought that Russia was in part referring to Mr Berezovsky, who denied the allegation and accused Mr Putin of personally being behind Mr Litvinenko’s death from radioactive polonium-210 poisoning.

A South Central Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We were called at 3.18pm by a caller who was concerned about the welfare of a gentleman at an address in Ascot.

“We sent a number of ambulance officers and an ambulance to the address. The 67-year-old male was confirmed deceased at the scene.”

A friend of Mr Berezovsky said that his family was “devastated”, adding that she did not believe his death to be suspicious.

‘He was full of life and love’

Sasha Nerozina told Sky News: “It is shocking, terrible news. It is not something you expect. He was full of life and love.”

The businessman had been left “demoralised” by losing his high-profile legal battle with Mr Abramovich, as he had expected to win, she added.

However, Mr Berezovsky was “looking forward to adventures to come” and was so busy with work that he hardly slept, according to Ms Nerozina.

“Boris cannot be dead – it is almost incredible to put those words together,” she said. “We expected him to outlive us all.”

While he had feared for his life in the past, he had no such worries in his final months, said Ms Nerozina.

“There is nothing to be suspicious about, as far as I understand”, she told Sky News.

Millions of pounds in legal costs

Mr Berezovsky ran up more than tens of millions of pounds in legal bills in less than two years after the court battle with Mr Abramovich.

He also built up legal costs totalling more than £250,000 just two months after becoming embroiled in a case at the same court with his former partner, Elena Gorbunova, who sat at Mr Berezovsky’s side throughout much of his battle with Mr Abramovich.

Earlier this week, the Daily Telegraph reported that the Russian oligarch would attempt to sell Red Lenin, an Andy Warhol screen print valued at between £30,000 and £50,000 by Christie’s.

The artwork sold on Wednesday for £133,875 including the buyer’s premium, according to the auction house’s website.

Last year, Mrs Justice Gloster dismissed a series of claims by Mr Berezovsky – who wanted more than £3bn damages – relating to deals done in Russia with Mr Abramovich.

Around two months ago, he wrote a letter to Putin, asking for forgiveness and the chacne to return to his homeland.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, former Kremlin adviser Alexander Nekrassov said: “It’s difficult to know the exact reason, but I suspect that Mr Berezovsky was in a very tight financial situation. He had enormous debts, he didn’t really know how to raise money to repay them, and I think he was thinking of leaving Britian for good.

“His death basically doesn’t really change anything in Russia because he lost his influence a long time ago.”

£35m costs to Abramovich

In October, the judge was told by lawyers that Mr Berezovsky had agreed to pay £35m towards Mr Abramovich’s legal costs in the wake of her ruling.
She was given no detail of the amount of costs run up by Mr Berezovsky.

But legal magazine The Lawyer said the case was thought to have generated “total fees” of more than £100m.

Mr Berezovsky had sued and accused Mr Abramovich of blackmail, breach of trust and breach of contract.

He said the billionaire Russian businessman had “intimidated” him into selling shares in a Russian oil company at a fraction of their value and broken a promise made during a deal relating to a Russian aluminium company.

Mr Abramovich said the claims had “no merit”.

Mrs Justice Gloster ruled in Mr Abramovich’s favour in August following a trial – staged in London between October 2011 and January – at which both men gave evidence.

The judge described Mr Berezovsky as an “unimpressive, and inherently unreliable, witness” but said she found Mr Abramovich to be a “truthful, and on the whole reliable, witness”.