A postmortem examination on the body of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky was being carried out yesterday evening while a forensic examination of the property in Mill Lane, Ascot, Berkshire, where he was found dead is expected to take several days, police said.
It is thought he was having serious financial difficulties
Thames Valley Police said they have found no evidence that anyone else was involved in Mr Berezovsky’s death, but there has been widespread speculation over what happened to the 67-year-old.
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Brown said: “I would like to reiterate that we have no evidence of any third-party involvement at this stage and we will not speculate on the cause of death until the postmortem examination has been carried out.”
Berezovsky, who last year lost a multibillion-pound High Court battle with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, was found dead by his bodyguard at his Berkshire home on Saturday .
Specialist officers in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear substances examined the country pile before declaring it safe. The search was prompted when a radiation detector worn by the paramedic who pronounced the businessman dead was triggered on leaving the country pile in Titness Park, Mill Lane, Ascot.
The paramedic’s detector, a personal electronic dosimeter, is a health and safety device used routinely by emergency services.
An employee of Berezovsky, believed to be the bodyguard, had called for the ambulance shortly after 3pm on Saturday after forcing open a bathroom door and finding the oligarch dead on the floor. The employee had not seen Berezovsky since 10.30pm on Friday night and had become concerned for his welfare, according to police.
Officers said they are speaking to the Russian’s close friends and family to build up a picture of his state of mind in the last days of his life.
It is thought that he was having serious financial difficulties after paying out astronomical sums in legal fees over the past few years, and wanted to return to Russia.
The oligarch could have run up more than £100 million in legal bills since 2011.
In July of that year, he paid out Britain’s biggest ever divorce settlement to his ex-wife Galina Besharova. Reports suggested the deal was worth more than £100 million.
He also ran up tens of millions of pounds in legal costs during his High Court battle with Mr Abramovich. And he built up fees 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 Berezovsky’s side throughout much of his battle with Mr Abramovich.
Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000 after falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In fear for his life, he sought political asylum and moved to the southeast England, buying upmarket properties in Knightsbridge, London, and Berkshire.