Inquest told police lost key computer evidence

Evidence of half billiondollar transactions, threats and links to a high-profile money laundering case were lost by police investigating the death of a wealthy Russian, an inquest heard.

A civilian police translator trawled through documents, text messages and Skype chat taken from the computer of Alexander Perepilichnyy in December 2012 after his death the month before.

Russian-born Ekaterina Clarke-O’Connell provided a snapshot of the lost evidence to the inquest, before Coroner Nicholas Hilliard QC at the Old Bailey, which is examining if the 44-year-old businessman was murdered or died of natural causes. She concluded something was “not right”, as she recalled massive sums of money, of up to half a billion dollars, flowing through accounts.

At the time he collapsed while jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, he was helping UK-based Bill Browder’s Hermitage Capital Investment to expose a $230million money laundering operation.

A month before his death, Mr Perepilichnyy also had fought off a legal challenge by a debt recovery firm allegedly led by the prime suspect in the Alexander Litvinenko poison case.

Lucas Fear-Segal, for Mr Perepilichnyy’s life insurers Legal and General, told Ms Clarke-O’Connell: “Essentially, the original documents you looked at have gone missing.

“It’s either the fault of Surrey Police or South East Counter Terrorism Unit, and back-up cannot be accessed by Surrey Police so all we have got is you.”

Recalling the documents, the witness said: “They were work-related to the deceased. We were given trigger words that could flag up threats, anything unusual, money laundering activities, some names.

“It seems like something was missing.”

The hearing continues.

“Essentially, the original documents have gone missing”