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Department

Records of the Inquest and Inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko on 23 November...

Catalogue reference: LITV

What's it about?

LITV

Records of the Inquest and Inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko on 23 November 2006. LITV 1 contains the website for the inquiry LITV 2 contains the transcripts, evidence and report LITV 3 contains the website for the inquest

Full description and record details

Reference

LITV

Title
Records of the Inquest and Inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko on 23 November 2006 (The Litvinenko Inquiry)
Date

2006-2016

Description

Records of the Inquest and Inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko on 23 November 2006.

LITV 1 contains the website for the inquiry

LITV 2 contains the transcripts, evidence and report

LITV 3 contains the website for the inquest

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status

Public Record(s)

Language

English and Russian

Creator(s)
  • Assistant Coroner for Inner North London, 2013-2014
  • Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner North London, 2006-2013
  • Inquiry Into the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Alexander Litvinenko, 2014-2016
Physical description

3 series

Access conditions

Open unless otherwise stated

Immediate source of acquisition

Home Office

Administrative / biographical background

The inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death was opened on 30 November 2006 by Her Majesty's Coroner for Inner North London, Dr Andrew Reid, and was immediately adjourned to allow the Metropolitan Police Service to carry out investigations. In a hearing conducted on 13 October 2011 Dr Reid noted that he intended to inquire into the possibility of a senior judge being appointed to conduct the inquest. Sir Robert Owen, a judge of the High Court of England and Wales, was appointed to hear the inquest on 7 August 2012 as Her Majesty's Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner North London.

On 22 July 2014 the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, announced the Government's decision to establish an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 to investigate the death of Alexander Litvinenko on 23 November 2006. The inquiry was formally set up on 31 July 2014.

Sir Robert Owen, having acted as Assistant Coroner responsible for conducting the inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death, was appointed to chair the inquiry. Sir Robert, who retired as a High Court judge on 19 September 2014, suspended the inquest and opened the inquiry, having been asked to do so by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in accordance with paragraph 3 of schedule 1 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. In his opening address, on 31 July 2014, Sir Robert set out the chronology of events leading to the decision to hold the inquiry.

Public hearings took place in court 73 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London between 27 January and 30 March 2015; the hearings recommenced on 24 July and finished on 31 July 2015. The public and closed hearings into the death of Alexander Litvinenko have been completed. The Chairman delivered his Report to the Home Secretary on 19 January and it was published on 21 January 2016. The Report is available on the Report page on the archived website.

Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C16676497/

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

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Records of the Inquest and Inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko on 23 November 2006 (The Litvinenko Inquiry)