Litvinenko pair seek aid

Two businessmen who had met former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko in London on the day he fell ill said they would seek compensation from a charity created by his friends and widow.

Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun were questioned by Scotland Yard in connection with the death of Litvinenko, who was poisoned with polonium-210 after meeting them and died on 23 November. Both men deny any involvement in Litvinenko's death. Mr Lugovoi and Mr Kovtun, who were exposed to radiation, said they would seek compensation from the Litvinenko Justice Foundation, an organisation created this week by self-exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, Litvinenko's widow, and his friend Alex Goldfarb.

Mr Goldfarb angrily dismissed the two men's demands, describing it as part of the Kremlin-sponsored cover-up. "These two individuals deserve not a compensation but a life sentence," he said. Mr Lugovoi said he was in hospital for three weeks and Mr Kovtun for more than a month but they declined to comment on what doctors had discovered.

"We have borne considerable financial loss due to medical testing. Since Mr Berezovsky has decided to create this fund to help polonium victims, I think we are victims and should be on top of the list of those who can claim this help," he said.

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