MOSCOW, March 28 (RIA Novosti) – The inquest into the death of Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky opened in the UK on Thursday with revelations that he was found with marks on his neck consistent with hanging.
Berezovsky was discovered dead in the bathroom of his home in the town of Ascot in southern England on Saturday. He was 67.
Detective Inspector Mark Bissell of Thames Valley Police told an inquest hearing that a “ligature” was found around Berezovsky’s neck and that similar material was also attached to a shower rail, The Associated Press reported.
The agency cited Bissell as saying that there did not appear to have been any sign of a struggle, but that further tests need to be carried out to reach a definitive conclusion.
Nikolay Glushkov, a close associate of Berezovsky, told The Guardian on Tuesday that a scarf was found at the site of the death and that there were signs of strangulation.
Berezovsky, an avowed Kremlin foe, had lived in self-imposed exiled Britain since 2000 and was pursued for extradition by authorities in Russia for prosecution over alleged fraud.
