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| British Police Detail Clues in Death of Russian Tycoon | British Police Detail Clues in Death of Russian Tycoon |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — In a first brief, official account of the circumstances surrounding the death of the exiled Russian oligarch Boris A. Berezovsky, a British police officer said on Thursday that the former tycoon was found lying on his bathroom floor last weekend with a “ligature around his neck and a piece of similar material on the shower rail above him.” | |
| But, in a potential departure from earlier police assessments, the officer, Detective Inspector Mark Bissell of the Thames Valley police, said that while there was no evidence of a violent struggle, the involvement of a third party “cannot be completely eliminated as tests remain outstanding.” | |
| The officer was speaking at the opening of an inquest into Mr. Berezovsky’s death, held at Windsor, west of London. In Britain, inquests are held to establish the cause of unusual deaths and do not generally ascribe blame. | |
| The officer confirmed an earlier police finding that Mr. Berezovsky’s death was “consistent with hanging.” He said toxicologists would continue tests on Mr. Berezovsky’s body, along with further searches at his home in Ascot, west of London. | The officer confirmed an earlier police finding that Mr. Berezovsky’s death was “consistent with hanging.” He said toxicologists would continue tests on Mr. Berezovsky’s body, along with further searches at his home in Ascot, west of London. |
| After its formal opening, the inquest was adjourned. | After its formal opening, the inquest was adjourned. |
| On Monday, the police said a post-mortem examination had found no sign of a violent struggle. The announcement followed two days of intense speculation over the final hours of one of the Kremlin’s most vocal critics. | On Monday, the police said a post-mortem examination had found no sign of a violent struggle. The announcement followed two days of intense speculation over the final hours of one of the Kremlin’s most vocal critics. |
| The body of Mr. Berezovsky, 67, once one of the most important power brokers in 1990s Russia, was found on Saturday by one of his employees behind the locked door of a bathroom at his large home in extensive grounds. | The body of Mr. Berezovsky, 67, once one of the most important power brokers in 1990s Russia, was found on Saturday by one of his employees behind the locked door of a bathroom at his large home in extensive grounds. |
| “The results of the post-mortem examination, carried out by a Home Office pathologist, have found the cause of death is consistent with hanging,” the statement said on Monday. “The pathologist has found nothing to indicate a violent struggle.” | “The results of the post-mortem examination, carried out by a Home Office pathologist, have found the cause of death is consistent with hanging,” the statement said on Monday. “The pathologist has found nothing to indicate a violent struggle.” |
| Mr. Berezovsky fled Russia in 2000 after falling out with President Vladimir V. Putin, whom he had once helped to secure power. In London, he set himself up as the focal point of émigrés seeking Mr. Putin’s ouster, resisting Russian efforts to have him sent back on criminal charges. | Mr. Berezovsky fled Russia in 2000 after falling out with President Vladimir V. Putin, whom he had once helped to secure power. In London, he set himself up as the focal point of émigrés seeking Mr. Putin’s ouster, resisting Russian efforts to have him sent back on criminal charges. |
| One of his associates, Alexander V. Litvinenko, a former K.G.B. officer, died of radiation poisoning in 2006 after ingesting a rare isotope, polonium 210, from a cup of tea at an upscale London hotel. British prosecutors are seeking the extradition from Russia of another former K.G.B. officer, Andrei K. Lugovoi, who has denied murder charges. | One of his associates, Alexander V. Litvinenko, a former K.G.B. officer, died of radiation poisoning in 2006 after ingesting a rare isotope, polonium 210, from a cup of tea at an upscale London hotel. British prosecutors are seeking the extradition from Russia of another former K.G.B. officer, Andrei K. Lugovoi, who has denied murder charges. |
| Flamboyant and impetuous, Mr. Berezovsky was frequently in the headlines, most notably last October when, in a stunning reversal of his fortunes and life style, he lost a spectacular $5.1 billion lawsuit against a former protégé, Roman A. Abramovich, the billionaire who owns the Chelsea soccer club and many other interests, including businesses and yachts. | Flamboyant and impetuous, Mr. Berezovsky was frequently in the headlines, most notably last October when, in a stunning reversal of his fortunes and life style, he lost a spectacular $5.1 billion lawsuit against a former protégé, Roman A. Abramovich, the billionaire who owns the Chelsea soccer club and many other interests, including businesses and yachts. |
| The courtroom defeat left Mr. Berezovsky with huge legal fees, friends said, and sent him into a profound depression. | The courtroom defeat left Mr. Berezovsky with huge legal fees, friends said, and sent him into a profound depression. |
| In a statement released through the police on Wednesday, the family of his second wife, Galina Besharova, paid glowing tribute to him, contrasting with a far less salubrious image of the onetime billionaire sponsored by the Kremlin and Mr. Berezovsky’s critics in Russia and elsewhere. | In a statement released through the police on Wednesday, the family of his second wife, Galina Besharova, paid glowing tribute to him, contrasting with a far less salubrious image of the onetime billionaire sponsored by the Kremlin and Mr. Berezovsky’s critics in Russia and elsewhere. |
| The tribute, the police said, was written by a daughter, Anastasia, and said: “My father was not the typical parent, nothing about him was ordinary. He has colored my life in infinite ways, and I know that what he concerned himself most with was making all his children proud. | The tribute, the police said, was written by a daughter, Anastasia, and said: “My father was not the typical parent, nothing about him was ordinary. He has colored my life in infinite ways, and I know that what he concerned himself most with was making all his children proud. |
| “His determination and excitement for every aspect of life is something that stands out in even my earliest memories of him and that will always remain deep in my heart. | “His determination and excitement for every aspect of life is something that stands out in even my earliest memories of him and that will always remain deep in my heart. |
| “He has taught me many things about this world. He has taught me to never stop fighting for what one believes in no matter what the costs may be. I doubt anyone could have met a man with a stronger presence, or with charm that was more overwhelming than the one my father possessed. | “He has taught me many things about this world. He has taught me to never stop fighting for what one believes in no matter what the costs may be. I doubt anyone could have met a man with a stronger presence, or with charm that was more overwhelming than the one my father possessed. |
| “There aren’t enough words in any language that can somehow express everything that he was and everything he will continue to be. The only word that comes close is extraordinary.” | “There aren’t enough words in any language that can somehow express everything that he was and everything he will continue to be. The only word that comes close is extraordinary.” |
Stephen Castle contributed reporting from London. | Stephen Castle contributed reporting from London. |