New photo Was Russian millionaire Alexander Perepilichnyy poisoned in Paris?

A Russian whistleblower who mysteriously died near his Surrey mansion could have been poisoned but 'more likely than not' died of natural causes, a coroner has found.

Alexander Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while jogging near his home in Weybridge, in 2012, after spending the night with his lover in Paris.

Amid evidence that Mr Perepilichnyy had been blowing the whistle on alleged organised crime in Russia, it was feared he may have been assassinated.

A coroner today bemoaned a 'significant lost opportunity' to investigate his death, which was not initially treated as suspicious at the scene as no-one reported any ill effects or concerns.

Russian businessman Alexander Perepilichnyy collapsed and died near his home in Surrey in 2012. He had spent the previous night with his lover Elmira Medynska

A photo from the night of his death shows his body laying in a road not far from his home

As a result, mobile phones were not scrutinised straight away, no CCTV was seized and no forensic post-mortem examination was done until 18 days later, Mr Hilliard said.

The coroner added: 'Faced with a middle-aged man in jogging clothes at the top of a steep hill, it is unsurprising those officers (at the scene) came to this view.' 

He told the court that had police looked 'carefully' they could have found an article linking Mr Perepilichnyy to the alleged fraud and that he was 'hiding in London'. 

But the coroner found no positive evidence to conclude that the Russian millionaire was poisoned.

'I'm satisfied that it is more likely than not that he died of natural causes, namely SADS sudden arrhythmic death syndrome,' he said. 'In my judgement is is likely that he died of natural causes.

'I cannot completely eliminate all possibility that he was poisoned but there is no direct evidence that he was killed or any compelling circumstantial evidence either.

'It may not be possible to rule out a single factor when it's looked at in isolation - but taken together the likelihood of deliberate poisoning seems unlikely.' 

Ms Medynska told the inquest that Mr Perepilichnyy was shaking and drinking a lot and seemed 'somewhere else' throughout the evening they spent together before his death

Mr Perepilichnyy had been jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, before his death

Experts have concluded there are two potential causes of death - sudden arrhythmic death syndrome or poisoning.

The night before his death, Mr Perepilichnyy had been sick after a meal out at a fish restaurant in Paris with his ex-model lover Elmira Medynska, 28, the inquest heard. 

Ms Medynska said he was shaking and drinking a lot and seemed 'somewhere else', throughout the evening. 

Mr Perepilichnyy ordered tempura prawns or vegetables, but sent the food back after complaining about it, the inquest heard.

She said: 'He said that he didn't like the taste. He was very irritated and mad about the quality of the food.'

She added: 'He was looking for people around us... I think he was a little bit stressed. I didn't understand the reason why he was stressed, because it was nearly all French people in the restaurants, very old people. 

Mr Perepilichnyy had been helping anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder (left). Sergei Magnitsky (right) a lawyer who also aided Mr Browder was tortured and died in a Russian jail

Sads: The invisible killer that claims 500 lives a year in Britain

Sudden adult death syndrome (Sads) is caused by a 'ventricular arrhythmia', a disturbance in the heart's rhythm.

It can strike at any age and can even affect those who are fit and athletic.

Sometimes there are no warning signs, but in other cases victims can experience dizziness or fainting spells. It is often triggered by physical or emotional stress.

In some cases it may be caused by an underlying genetic disorder which runs in families, while in others it may be caused by a condition which is acquired.

Around one in four cases is thought to be caused by a set of conditions called ion channelopathies.

These affect the electrical functioning of the heart without affecting its structure, meaning they can only be detected in life rather than after death.

The prevalence of Sads is not fully known as many sudden deaths are put down to accidents, but research suggests it claims around 500 lives a year in Britain.

It was first noted in 1977 among Hmong refugees in the US. It was then reported again in Singapore when medics looked through records which showed 230 healthy Thai men died suddenly between 1982 and 1990.

The coroner said he was satisfied Mr Perepilichnyy had vomited on the night before he died as a result of food and drink he had at a restaurant serving raw fish.

But he said on the balance of probabilities it did not cause or contribute to his death.

Mr Perepilichnyy had been helping UK-based businessman Bill Browder's Hermitage Capital Investment expose a 230 million US dollar (£142 million in November 2012) money-laundering operation, the inquest was told.

The father-of-two was said to have appeared on a hit list in Moscow before his death.

He had taken out £3.5 million of life insurance and applied for another £5 million of policies amid concern to provide for his family, it was claimed.

A month before his death, he had fought off a legal challenge by a debt recovery firm allegedly led by a prime suspect in the Alexander Litvinenko poison case, Dmitry Kovtun.

It was claimed an assassin may have wanted to kill him either to silence him or seek retribution and had the means to do it undetected.

Extensive tests have failed to identify any poison in Mr Perepilichnyy's body, although experts could not categorically rule out a toxin or even a nerve agent such as Novichok.

It was alleged an undetectable poison could have been used, or that the opportunity to identify it was lost in the days after his death.

How the son of a Chernobyl doctor made made millions in post-Soviet chaos - but spent his time 'solving physics problems' and enjoying his favourite meal, sorrel soup

Alexander Perepilichnyy came from western Ukraine to win a place at a top Russian university studying physics

Russian businessman Alexander Perepilichnyy was a hard-working family man who was 'humble' despite accruing a fortune of more than £50million, his inquest heard.

Born in West Ukraine, he met his wife Tatiana Perepilichnaya in the 1980s, when they were students in Moscow.

Mrs Perepilichnaya said her husband was a 'very kind person' who was brought up in a remarkable family.

His father was a surgeon who died from leukaemia shortly after volunteering to help in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster.

Mr Perepilichnyy studied physics and technical science at a top Russian university before he married and had two children, now aged 17 and 15.

According to his widow, while still studying, he made money in computers before moving into manufacturing frozen vegetables and condensed milk.

He had offices in Moscow and factories in Russia and the Ukraine, she said.

According to bank documents, Mr Perepilichnyy gave his occupation as 'industrialist' and had a net worth of over £50million.

He was said to have benefited from the Perestroika in the Goraechev era and made his first fortune through his company, Gefest, which closed in 1990.

Mr Perepilichnyy made his money during the chaotic post-Soviet years when Russia was ruled by Boris Yeltsin (pictured in 1998)

In the mid-1990s, he set up the Moscow-based Horus Group, which moved from trade and financial operations into food distribution and real estate.

In 2006, he cashed in on the sale of shares in the Russian natural gas company Gazprom, the bank document stated.

But 'full-time mother' Mrs Perepilichnaya said she did not discuss work with her husband, and instead would discuss their children and large dog Samuray.

She knew nothing about his dealings with Bill Browder's Hermitage firm, or whether or not her husband was on a hit list in Moscow.

He and his wife were keen to have their children educated in England and moved to the exclusive community of St George's Hill near Weybridge in Surrey

He also kept her in the dark about meeting an ex-model lover in Paris the day before his death.

According to his widow, Mr Perepilichnyy was not interested in socialising - preferring reading and solving physics problems.

She said in a statement: 'Alexander did not understand the need to socialise with people. He did not like to go out. He was not interested in status or self-aggrandisement himself. He was very humble.'

She described him as 'apolitical' and a 'very private person'.

She said the family decided to move from Russia for the sake of their children's education, moving first to Switzerland and then Britain in 2010.

At 6ft 1in tall, Mr Perepilichnyy's struggled with his weight in the last 10 years of his life, peaking at more than 17 stone.

He put himself on a strict diet and went jogging up to five times a week so that by July 2012, his weight had dropped to just 12 and a half stone.

While not suffering from obvious health problems, Mrs Perepilichnaya said he had always been 'stressed'.

She said: 'He was no more stressed in the months up to his death than before. He stopped working such long hours and he spent more time with his children. He seemed more relaxed.'

At the time of his death, the family were living in rented accommodation in the exclusive community of St George's Hill near Weybridge in Surrey.

They had a gardener, cleaner and driver, but Mr Perepilichnyy never felt the need for a bodyguard.

On the day of his death, he had just returned from Paris and seemed 'completely normal' as his wife prepared one of his favourite meals for lunch, a traditional a sorrel soup.

On the devastating impact of his death, Mrs Perepilichnaya said: 'From the moment the police confirmed his death I had a physical reaction. I was cold, my jaw locked up and I couldn't talk properly. I was trembling all over and I remember feeling completely overwhelmed.

'It was very difficult to leave my house after his death in part due to the fact that I would have to face the street where Alexander died whenever I left my house.'

She added that everything that has happened since he died has affected their children and 'damaged their future'. 

The build-up to and fallout of the Russian businessman's death 

August 27 2010 : Alexander Perepilichnyy first meets with Hermitage Capital.

January 2011: Bill Browder, of Hermitage, makes a complaint to Swiss authorities about alleged money laundering by Russian tax officials based on documents provided by Mr Perepilichny. The Swiss authorities freeze accounts and ask Mr Perepilichnyy for information.

2011: Mr Perepilichnyy twice meets Andrei Pavlov - said to be a representative of the Russain interior Ministry but also alleged to be the lawyer for the Klyuev organised crime group - at Zurich and Heathrow airports.

Spring 2012: He meets with Swiss officials. A 'confrontation' is due to be held at the end of the year to resolve the Hermitage complaint.

Mid-2012: Mr Perepilichnyy obtains £3.5 million life insurance from Legal and General.

June 2012: Applications are made to AIG Life for a further £5 million life insurance.

August 2012: The family go on holiday to America and start looking at properties to buy in Miami.

November 9, 2012: The married father spends the night with his ex-model girlfriend Elmira Medynska, 28, at the Buddha Bar in Paris.

November 10, 2012: Mr Perepilichnyy, 44, returns from Paris where has been staying at the Hotel Bristol. His wife makes him sorrel soup and he collapses while out running near his Weybridge home.

November 14, 2012: A first post-mortem examination is done. Nothing unusual is found in the stomach contents which are 'disposed of down the sluice' in accordance with an agreed protocol.

November 17, 2012: Hermitage lawyers write to police urging them to investigate the death as a 'potential murder', saying Mr Perepilichnyy was a whistleblower who had been co-operating with authorities and exposing Russian organised crime.

November 18, 2012: Mr Perepilichnyy's immigration lawyer Roger Gherson calls Surrey police, claiming the Russian had been concerned for his safety in recent weeks and suggesting toxicology tests.

November 28, 2012: Detective Superintendent Ian Pollard takes over the Surrey police investigation. The Independent newspaper publishes an article headlined Supergrass who held key to huge Russian fraud is found dead in Surrey.

November 29, 2012: Meeting between Mr Gherson, two Surrey Family Liaison officers and widow Tatiana Perepilichnaya. Notes at the meeting record the widow as saying: 'I am scared. I have never been more scared than I am now.'

November 30: Second autopsy carried out and limited stomach contents are recovered.

June 2, 2016: Pre-inquest review held by the Senior Surrey Coroner, Richard Travers.

November 2016: Home Secretary Amber Rudd wins High Court order preventing disclosure of sensitive material at the forthcoming inquest. The ruling says the position of the current Coroner, Richard Travers, was 'untenable' because he did not have security clearance.

March 13, 2017: Pre-inquest review held at Old Bailey by Coroner Nicholas Hilliard. Court hears claims Mr Perepilichnyy may have eaten poisoned sorrel soup on the day of his death. No evidence was found to back up the claim.

June 5, 2017: Inquest gets under way at Old Bailey with Mrs Perepilichnaya giving evidence from behind a screen.

June 10, 2017: Buzzfeed article published alleging Mr Perepilichnyy was thought by intelligence agencies to have been assassinated by the Russians. It alleges he had been staying with a mistress in Paris in November 2012 called Elmira Medynska.

June 29, 2017: Bob Moxon Browne, for Legal and General, demands authorities come clean about whether Mr Perepilichnyy was involved with British intelligence, saying he could have been 'rubbed out' for being a spy. The Coroner refuses.

April 11, 2017: Ms Medynska gives evidence to the inquest via video link from Paris. She says Mr Perepilichnyy appeared 'very stressed' about his work and was 'on another planet' when they went shopping to buy her a Prada bag and Louis Vuitton shoes. He was sick after a romantic dinner on their last night together, she says.

September 18, 2018: The coroner restates he will not make public 'sensitive' material in the national interest, saying it is 'so marginal and/or minimal as to mean that it will afford me no assistance in resolving the central question in this inquest as to how Mr Perepilichnyy died'.

No application was made for US intelligence to be withheld, after the Americans dismissed claims reported in Buzzfeed that 'high grade' US intelligence indicated that Mr Perepilichnyy was likely assassinated on direct orders of Vladimir Putin or those close to him.

December 18, 2018: Coroner Hilliard delivers his final conclusions in the long-running inquest at the Old Bailey.

 

 

 

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News Pictures Was Russian millionaire Alexander Perepilichnyy poisoned in Paris?

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kim cattrall

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