Russian Mafia whistleblower poisoned by a plant called Heartbreak Grass

POLICE have denied a cover-up after withholding documents relating to the mysterious death of a Russian Mafia whistleblower.

Those close to the case believe the secret documents could be vital to the inquiry into the death of Alexander Perepilichny who collapsed and died while out running near his luxury Surrey home.


The 44-year-old’s death in 2012 was originally put down to natural causes but traces of a chemical found in the poisonous plant gelsemium elegans - known as heartbreak grass - were later found in his stomach.

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Perepilichny had traces of poisonous Gelsemium in his stomach  Alamy
Surrey Police say they want to keep secret 35 documents regarding the death for security reasons.

But Dijen Basu QC, representing the force, told a pre-inquest review: "It is not a cover-up. We are going to show you each of these documents so that you will see them. There is no cover-up here."

Lawyers for Hermitage Capital Management claim Mr Perepilichny may have been killed for helping the company expose a £150m fraud involving crooked Russian officials.


A previous hearing was told he may have been the victim of a "reprisal killing" linked to the deaths of Alexander Litvinenko and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Mr Magnitsky also worked for Hermitage and died in prison in 2009.

An inquest was due to begin today into the death of wealthy Russian supergrass Alexander Perepilichnyy. The 44-year-old was found collapsed in the road after going out jogging close to his £3 million mansion in November 2012. Surrey Police said his death was not suspicious. Pictured is his home The Coach House in the millionaires' luxury private estate, St George's Hill in Weybridge, Surrey.An inquest was due to begin today into the death of wealthy Russian supergrass Alexander Perepilichnyy. The 44-year-old was found collapsed in the road after going out jogging close to his £3 million mansion in November 2012. Surrey Police said his death was not suspicious. Pictured is his home The Coach House in the millionaires' luxury private estate, St George's Hill in Weybridge, Surrey.
The whistleblower's luxury Surrey home  INS
Henrietta Hill QC, representing the financial firm, told Surrey Coroner's Court today: "In the same way that Mr Litvinenko was providing testimony to Spanish prosecutors and died before it could be concluded, Mr Perepilichny was providing testimony to Swiss prosecutors and died before that could be concluded."

Dmitri Kovtun, one of the two Russians who poisoned Mr Litvinenko in 2006, had a "historical animosity" with Mr Perepilichny, Ms Hill said.

She added that the police documents may be "directly relevant to the case of this man's death".

It is suspected the documents relate to intelligence reports on Mr Perepilichny. There is no suggestion he had any links to British intelligence.

Other documents may relate to an organised Mafia group that may also be linked to his death.


The revelations come just a week after a British inquiry ruled Russian President Vladimir Putin probably approved the murder of an ex-KGB agent in London.

Last Thursday, an inquiry concluded that Putin had probably given the go-ahead to a Russian intelligence operation to murder Litvinenko, an outspoken Kremlin critic who had also fled to Britain, with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210 in 2006.