BODIES OF EXILES WHO DIED SUDDENLY COULD BE EXHUMED

THE bodies of two Russian exiles who died suddenly in Britain could be exhumed and tested for nerve agent poisoning, it emerged last night.

One is Alexander Perepilichny, 43, who collapsed while out jogging at his home in the St George’s Hill area of Weybridge, Surrey, in 2012. He had provided evidence of fraud perpetrated by Kremlin-linked officials.

The other is Badri Patarkatsishvili, who died suddenly at his mansion in Leatherhead, Surrey in 2008 – seven years after fleeing his homeland.

The 52-year-old was a business partner of Boris Berezovsky, an enemy of Vladimir Putin who was also found dead in his Surrey home in 2013.

Another business partner, 68-year-old Nikolai Glushkov, was murdered a week ago at his home in south London.

Police said he was strangled. Friends of both Perepilichny and Patarkatsishvili have called for their remains to be exhumed for further testing, according to the Daily Telegraph. One source, who wished to remain anonymous over fears of retaliation, said: ‘The Home Office must consider exhuming Badri’s body.

‘They never did the toxicological report. Surrey Police just said he had a bad heart and had a heart attack. But I had seen him before his death and he was absolutely fine.’

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has called for a fresh probe to be conducted by MI5 and police into 14 unexplained deaths, including Perepilichny, Patarkatsishvili and Berezovsky.

Yvette Cooper, the Labour chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, said: ‘It is clear that further criminal investigations are needed into the activities of the Russian state on our soil.’

The Metropolitan Police said it could not comment while the Salisbury investigation was still underway. The Home Office declined to give more details ‘at this stage’.