Languish.org

General Category => Off the Record => Topic started by: mongers on March 23, 2013, 01:58:28 PM

Title: Natural Causes ?
Post by: mongers on March 23, 2013, 01:58:28 PM
:hmm:

Quote
Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky found dead

Mr Berezovsky had made his fortune importing Mercedes cars into Russia in the 1990s

The exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his home outside London.

The circumstances of the death of the 67-year-old - a wanted man in Russia, and an opponent of President Vladimir Putin - are not yet known.

A former Kremlin power-broker whose fortunes declined under Mr Putin, Mr Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000.

Thames Valley Police said it was investigating the death of a 67-year-old man in Ascot, Berkshire.

Last year, Mr Berezovsky lost a £3bn ($4.7bn) damages claim against Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.

Mr Berezovsky claimed he had been intimidated by Mr Abramovich into selling shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft for a "fraction of their true worth".
......


Rest of item here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21913356 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21913356)
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Malthus on March 23, 2013, 02:00:50 PM
Being shot behind the ear *is* "natural causes" for a Russian tycoon.  ;)
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: CountDeMoney on March 23, 2013, 02:02:17 PM
QuoteThames Valley Police said it was investigating the death of a 67-year-old man in Ascot, Berkshire.

Bet the crime lab--if there is one--is gonna ship that shit straight to Met.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Scipio on March 23, 2013, 03:10:17 PM
This Potemkin murder looks like a natural death, President Putin.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Razgovory on March 23, 2013, 08:24:39 PM
Even gangsters die natural deaths sometimes.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: mongers on March 23, 2013, 10:23:10 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on March 23, 2013, 02:02:17 PM
QuoteThames Valley Police said it was investigating the death of a 67-year-old man in Ascot, Berkshire.

Bet the crime lab--if there is one--is gonna ship that shit straight to Met.

Here you go:

Quote
Boris Berezovsky death: Chemical hazard police search house

A cordon remains in place around Boris Berezovsky's house

Police with expertise in environments contaminated with chemical, biological and nuclear material are searching the house of the late exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky.

Mr Berezovsky, 67, was found dead on Saturday, and a Thames Valley police cordon remains in place as police investigate his unexplained death.

The body remains at the Berkshire house while the search - described as a precaution - takes place, police said.

They say local people are not at risk.

The ambulance service was called to the Ascot house of Mr Berezovsky at 15:18 GMT on Saturday. His body was reportedly found in a bath.
Wanted man

A Thames Valley police update said: "Specially trained officers are currently at the scene, including CBRN [chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear] trained officers, who are conducting a number of searches as a precaution.

"This is to enable officers to carry out an investigation into the man's death"
......

rest of article here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21914864 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21914864)
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Syt on March 24, 2013, 12:53:11 AM
German paper Die Zeit quotes Berezovsky's lawyer claiming it was suicide, that Berezovsky was deep in debt and not of good health.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: mongers on March 24, 2013, 10:35:15 PM
Channel 4 news report that police as saying the reason why the NBC experts were called, was because the radiation detector on one of the attending paramedics went off. 

Not sure what to make of that.   :hmm:
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: jimmy olsen on March 25, 2013, 01:21:13 AM
Putin!  :ph34r:
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Liep on March 25, 2013, 07:23:10 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on March 25, 2013, 01:21:13 AM
Putin!  :ph34r:

I doubt it. Beresovskij is probably going to be more dangerous dead than he was alive.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: DGuller on March 25, 2013, 07:46:11 AM
Yeah, Berezovsky was a spent force.  He finally burned through his fortune, in no part thanks to losing the court case with 9 figure legal fees, and was more useful as a foil than as a corpse.  Then again, Putin could've still offed him just to instill more dread into other enemies in exile, or just for personal satisfaction.  With Berezovsky having laid off all his bodyguards bar one, it couldn't have been that hard.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Razgovory on March 25, 2013, 01:57:29 PM
Admittedly it's not unlike a Russian leader to assassinate former rivals who are no longer a threat to them.  The Soviets killed a bunch white emigres, and Stalin had Trotsky killed.

I don't know if Putin had this guy killed.  Possibly, but people who are 67 sometimes die of old age.  Regardless of how he died I think it's important to remember that while he was an enemy of Putin, he was still a crook.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: DGuller on March 26, 2013, 01:31:31 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 25, 2013, 01:57:29 PM
Admittedly it's not unlike a Russian leader to assassinate former rivals who are no longer a threat to them.  The Soviets killed a bunch white emigres, and Stalin had Trotsky killed.

I don't know if Putin had this guy killed.  Possibly, but people who are 67 sometimes die of old age.  Regardless of how he died I think it's important to remember that while he was an enemy of Putin, he was still a crook.
:yes: I think comparison to Trotsky is apt here.  Both lost to really, really bad guys, but they lost playing the same game the winners played; they just played it much more ineptly.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Syt on March 26, 2013, 01:40:13 AM
Autopsy has ruled suicide by hanging.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: Eddie Teach on March 26, 2013, 01:40:35 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 25, 2013, 01:57:29 PM
Regardless of how he died I think it's important to remember that while he was an enemy of Putin, he was still a crook.

That's not a particularly noteworthy thing when talking about wealthy Russians.
Title: Re: Natural Causes ?
Post by: DGuller on March 26, 2013, 08:24:54 AM
Yeah, but few Russian crooks had the power to find some obscure political loser and put him on the throne of Russia literally in the space of months.  It still boggles the mind how badly Berezovsky miscalculated.  He basically put a czar on the throne, and got beheaded with one of the first acts of the new czar.  The point of installing a puppet is that you get to keep the strings in your hands.