Poisoned Russian spy worked for U.K., inquest hears

Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian agent-turned-Kremlin critic, was a "registered and paid" agent working for Britain's foreign intelligence agency when he died after being mysteriously poisoned, a lawyer representing his widow told an official hearing Thursday. Another lawyer said the U.K. has evidence the Russian government was behind Litvinenko's death.

Britain is investigating the demise of Litvinenko, who died in November 2006 after drinking tea laced with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210 at a top London hotel.

On his deathbed, the former Russian FSB agent accused the Kremlin specifically Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind his killing, and his family has long demanded Russian authorities be held accountable.

The case has strained relations between the United Kingdom and Russia, which denies poisoning the former Russian agent.

Thursday's session aimed to set out the scope of a public inquest into Litvinenko's death. Judge Robert Owen said the inquest is expected to start in May.

Lawyer Ben Emmerson, representing Litvinenko's widow, Marina, alleged that at the time of his death, Litvinenko was working for Britain's MI6 spy agency and had been tasked to help Spanish intelligence investigate the Russian mafia. The U.K. probe must consider if MI6 failed to properly assess the risks before sending the agent out on his assignment, Emmerson said.

According to the lawyer, Litvinenko frequently met with a MI6 handler known only as "Martin" in central London, and payments from both the British and Spanish intelligence agencies were made to a joint bank account held by the agent and his wife.

Shortly before his death, Litvinenko was due to travel to Spain with former KGB bodyguard Andrey Lugovoi to provide intelligence to Spanish authorities, Emmerson told the hearing. He said he was basing his claims on information Marina Litvinenko gave to British police.

Britain has accused Lugovoi and another Russian, Dmitry Kovtun, of killing Litvinenko. Moscow has refused to hand them over, and Lugovoi has publicly denied involvement in the death. He is now a lawmaker in Russia.

Lawyer Neil Garnham, representing Britain's Home Office, told the hearing he could "neither confirm nor deny" if Litvinenko was employed by British intelligence.

Meanwhile, Hugh Davies, the lawyer who advises the coroner in the inquest, told the hearing that a "high-level assessment" of confidential material provided by the British government established a case for the Russian state's culpability in Litvinenko's poisoning.

The review of the material ruled out involvement of the British government or Chechen gangs, he told the session.

After the hearing, Litvinenko's widow said she was encouraged. "I appreciate all that was done today and I'm looking forward to any decision which will be taken by the coroner after today's hearing," she told reporters.

Inquests are held in Britain to determine the facts whenever someone dies unexpectedly, violently or in disputed circumstances. Inquests are meant only to determine a cause of death, so they don't apportion blame. But in Litvinenko's case every detail of the inquiry is being scrutinized for clues to the alleged involvement of Russia's secret services.