UK prosecutors say they are considering all options after Russia’s refusal to extradite a Russian national, Andrey Lugovoy, suspected of poisoning former security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko.

The Crown Prosecution Service says the murder is a serious criminal matter and their response needs to be considered with deliberation and seriousness.
 
Moscow sent a formal refusal on Monday to extradite Russian businessman Andrey Lugovoy, who’s suspected of being involved into the murder. The Russian constitution forbids the extradition of Russian citizens to foreign states.

Britain has called Russia's refusal to extradite its main suspect in the Aleksandr Litvinenko murder case: “extremely disappointing”. 

“Under the European convention on extradition under an article two, if the Russians do not return Mr Lugovoi they are under an obligation if we request it to bring him on trial in Russia, as long as the offence is an offence in Russia, which obviously murder is,” Paul Garlick, Extradition Lawyer, explained.

Russia says it’s ready to look at the evidence and possibly try Lugovoi on home soil. But the Crown Prosecution Service is not happy with Moscow’s proposal.

“The allegation against Mr Lugovoy is that he murdered a British citizen by deliberate poisoning and that he committed this extraordinarily grave crime here in our capital city. The appropriate venue for his trial is therefore London,” Ken Macdonald, Director of Public Prosecutions, said.

The new British Cabinet has also commented on the “Litvinenko Case”. Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said that Russia remains a very important political and economical partner for Britain, and that they will continue to seek legal means to prosecute Andrey Lugovoy. The British government believes that this situation will not worsen relations between the two countries and a constructive dialogue will continue.