Alexander Perepilichnyy: MI5 and MI6 files to stay secret, coroner rules

Documents from MI5 and MI6 relating to a Russian businessman will not be made public at his inquest after a coroner ruled they would not help him to determine how the millionaire died.

The sensitive "material", which could reveal if Alexander Perepilichnyy was working with British spies before he died in mysterious circumstances, will remain secret.

The 44-year-old collapsed and died while jogging near his mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012.

A Surrey Police investigation later found he died of natural causes. Critics have called for a full public inquiry to establish if he was poisoned.

Lawyers acting for life insurers Legal and General told the Old Bailey the businessman could have been "rubbed out" if he was working for British spies and that evidence of any links to UK intelligence services could show he was in "special danger".

coroner Nicholas Hilliard QC

Sajid Javid, the home secretary, lodged a secrecy application at the inquest, citing national security concerns.

As part of the inquest MI5 and MI6 have been asked if they have any information relating to threats to Mr Perepilichnyy in the year before he died or any "third party involvement" in his death.

Andrew O'Connor QC, for the Government, said the disclosure of any sensitive material raised a "real risk of serious harm to one or more public interests".

Coroner Nicholas Hilliard QC heard details of Mr Javid's public interest immunity (PII) application in private in June.

In a written ruling, the coroner said the documents in question are not required for the inquest.

"(The PII material's relevance) is so marginal and/or minimal as to mean that it will afford me no assistance in resolving the central question in this inquest as to how Mr Perepilichnyy died," he said.

Mr Hilliard has been examining whether or not the wealthy businessman was murdered with poison or died of natural causes.

The coroner said he had considered if the material contained anything "which was not otherwise publicly available" and had "significant bearing on or connection with" the issues he has to decide on.

"I am satisfied here that the answer to both questions is No," he said.

Mr Hilliard said that he had subjected Mr Javid's application to "rigorous scrutiny" and considered the public interest in openly answering the question of whether Mr Perepilichnyy was "an agent for, or had any contact with, British intelligence agencies prior to his death".

The coroner said: "Having conducted a balancing exercise, and having considered the reasons advanced in open and closed hearings by the Home Secretary as to the risk to national security and therefore to the public interest in non-disclosure, I am satisfied that the balance comes down in favour of non-disclosure and in upholding the PII certificate.

"In addition, I am myself aware of no additional lines of inquiry that could usefully be pursued."

Before his death, Mr Perepilichnyy had been helping UK-based campaigner Bill Browder's Hermitage Capital Investment to expose a 230 million US dollar (£142 million in November 2012) money-laundering operation.

Bob Moxon Browne QC, for Legal and General, told the court his concern about Mr Javid's application was "whether or not British police or the Government have evidence that Mr Perepilichnyy was prior to his death working for or in contact with British intelligence".

He argued there should be an exception to the rule of neither confirming nor denying contact with security services in Mr Perepilichnyy's case.

Mr Moxon Browne cited the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in March as demonstration of "the lengths to which the Russian state are prepared to go to make an example or punish people perceived as enemies, traitors or turncoats".

Meanwhile, he argued that the public was told of Alexander Litvinenko's role with British intelligence after he too was fatally poisoned.

If it also was true in the case of Mr Perepilichnyy, it would be "very powerful evidence indeed that he might have been in special danger from those who wish him ill because of the perception he was a traitor or a turncoat or enemy of Russia," Mr Moxon Browne said.

The inquest had also heard how Buzzfeed had reported that "high grade" US intelligence indicated that Mr Perepilichnyy was likely assassinated on direct orders of Vladimir Putin or those close to him.

No application was made for US intelligence to be withheld, after the Americans dismissed the claims.

The inquest is due to continue on Friday, when closing submissions are due to take place.