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Russian Fugitive Ex-Businessman Dies in London at 68

© Photo : taken from social networksNikolai Glushkov
Nikolai Glushkov - Sputnik International
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The death of Russian national Nikolai Glushkov has been reported by his friend on Facebook; the deceased man moved to the United Kingdom in 2010 after being convicted of embezzlement and money laundering in Russia.

Founder of the Vedomosti newspaper Demian Kudryavtsev said on Tuesday in a Facebook post that Glushkov had been found dead in his London home; he added that he had learned about the death of the Russian businessman from friends.

"I do not know anything about the specific cause, but he was not a middle-aged man. He died in London, at home," Kudryavtsev said in an interview with the Govorit Moskva radio station.

The reason behind Glushkov"s death is yet to be made public. However, UK police said there is no evidence showing his death is somehow linked to the resonant poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal.

Russian media have contacted those individuals closest to Glushkov to find out the reason behind his death. A close friend of the deceased said to the Russian radio station Govorit Moskva that he may have died of AIDS, adding that Glushkov never hid his homosexuality. The head of Russia’s largest commercial bank, Alfa-Bank, Petr Aven earlier said that Glushkov had “got married” upon moving to Britain.

READ MORE: Lavrov: UK Rejects Russia's Demand on Granting Access to Skripal Case Docs

In the 1990s, Glushkov was the deputy director of LogoVaz, a car sales company founded by Boris Berezovsky, and “Aeroflot,” Russia’s flagship airline and largest passenger carrier.

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In 1999, he was called to account amid a criminal investigation into embezzlement at Aeroflot. According to investigators, Boris Berezovsky an oligarch and associate of Glushkov created his “lobby” at Aeroflot’s leadership, embedding people from the firms he controlled there. Glushkov was subsequently accused of fraud, larceny and money laundering abroad. He was also on trial for trying to flee from the hospital where he was being kept in custody.

READ MORE: Netizens Mock May's 'Circus' Fallacies Over Russian Trace in Skripals' Poisoning

In 2004, a Moscow court acquitted Glushkov of fraud and money laundering allegations, but upheld the ruling on the abuse of power and the attempted escape from custody. He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison. However, the court ruled that the businessman be set free as he had served his time while in custody.

In 2010 Glushkov was granted asylum in the UK and moved to London.

In April 2017, Glushkov was sentenced in absentia by a Moscow court to eight years in prison for stealing $122 million from Aeroflot.

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