Russian whistle blower businessman 'linked to money laundering by Interpol' was found dead in 'possible assassination'

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Threats: Russian tycoon Alexander Perepilichnyy

A Russian businessman suspected of being assassinated in the UK was known to police before he died, a coroner heard today.

Russian interpol had already linked Alexander Perepilichnyy to conducting organised money laundering in 2007 and 2009 where it was believed he had organised a crime group to 'misappropriate money.'

But UK police denied knowing anything further about the Russian tycoon, while also refusing to confirm any links he may have had to British Intelligence.

Businessman Perepilichnyy collapsed while jogging outside his £3 million mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012 but police ruled out foul play at the time.

The 44-year-old whistleblower had fled to the UK and revealed 'explosive' information in an investigation into a £140 million Russian money-laundering scheme in Swiss bank accounts when he was found dead near his home.

After moving to the UK in 2009, Mr Perepilichnyy had turned whistleblower to Swiss authorities investigating the alleged complicity of corrupt Russian officials in a multi-million pound fraud of Hermitage Capital Management. 

The information received from him was 'explosive,' said Ms Henrietta Hill, a representative of the company.

Today it was revealed the man had been known to the service and had been linked to money laundering crimes as the Government and Surrey Police came under fire at another pre-inquest hearing.

Miss Henrietta Hill, representing Hermitage Capitol Management said: 'He had links to crime groups and we have concerns about the matter of openness of intelligence. I find it concerning that Detective Superintendent Ian Pollard told us something that was not correct. Surrey police has not been fully transparent.'

Surrey police was also criticised for their handling of the case and it was claimed the police force had been 'less than transparent' in the proceedings of the death investigation.

Insurance firms for the dead Russian claimed the police had refused to say whether or not Mr Perepilichnyy had any connection to British Intelligence and failed to reveal his Interpol links.

Denying Detective Superintendent Pollard had lied about the force's knowledge of the man's alleged links with organised crime by failing to disclose the information, Dijen Basu, representing Surrey Police, said: 'It is quite wrong to suggest Detective Superintendent Pollard has been anything other than accurate.' 

Sudden death: Mr Perepilichnyy collapsed while jogging outside his £3 million mansion in Surrey, pictured

It was said in previous pre-inquest hearings that Mr Perepilichnyy took out a number of multi-million pound life policies before his death, including one with Legal & General which only became active eight days before his death.

He had also provided evidence against those linked to the death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky - and became the fourth person linked to the Magnitsky case to have died in sudden circumstances.

When the father-of-two's body was found in the street at the exclusive St George's Hill estate in November 2012, it prompted speculation that he was on the Russian Mafia's hit list.

Fuel was also added to speculation today that Perepilichnyy had been assassinated after tests to determine whether he died of natural causes came back negative.

Luxury: He was jogging in the private St George's Hill estate, pictured, when he suffered a suspected heart attack

The genetic testing, which can pick up rare heart arrhythmia and determine if a genetic malfunction of the heart had caused the man's death came back negative increasing the belief the man's death had instead been brought on by an assassination.

However it was revealed that the genetic test was only successful in detecting the heart defects in 20 per cent of cases, and Surrey Police argued that the negative result could not rule out a natural death.

Mr Basu, representing Surrey Police, said: 'There was a way to discover if death might be due to a genetic cause of sudden heart arrhythmia. It has been said that four out of five cases where that has happened it has not been identified in genetic testing.'

Traces of a compound that could have come from toxic plant Gelsemium elegens were found in the exile's stomach by scientists carrying out tests on behalf of one of Mr Perepilichnyy's life insurers.

The coroner confirmed the Government had refused to provide reasons why a Public Interest Immunity order banning the disclosure of information had been sought on a number of documents which could reveal whether the dead man had been a spy or wanted by organised crime units.

Coroner Richard Travers added: 'I have expressed my disappointment in the way the Government has failed to respond in any way. I am reluctant to postpone the inquest and now order they make written submissions and provide evidence to support the Public Interest Immunity by June 10.'

Criticising Surrey Police's refusal to confirm if the dead man had links to British Intelligence, Bob Moxen-Brown, representing Legal and General, insurance company, said: 'We have asked Surrey Police to tell us if Mr P had contact with British Intelligence.

'There can be three answers, 'yes and here are the documents', 'no', or 'we are not going to tell you because it is not in the public interest to do so'. There has been no response from them on this matter.'

Surrey police claimed the request to find out if British Intelligence knew about Mr Perepilichnyy was 'not in the scope of the inquest' and refused to reply to the request.

A previous inquest review revealed a possible suspect for the killing, an Andrei Pavlov understood to be a member of the Klyuev Organised Crime Group (KOCG) in Russia - who was in the UK at the time of Perepilichnyy's sudden death and boarded a plane out of the country the next day.

The pre-inquest hearing, held in Woking coroners Court in Woking, Surrey, continues. 

Skype messages: Surrey Coroner's Court, pictured, heard Mr Perepilichnyy received threats before he died