Name Alexander Perepilichny | ||
Died November 2012, Weybridge, United Kingdom | ||
Russian businessman Alexander Perepilichnyy 'may have been poisoned'
Alexander Perepilichny was a Russian businessman and whistleblower who died under mysterious circumstances in the UK in November 2012, after fleeing from Russia in 2009. He was alleged to have been killed as part of the conspiracy to cover up the theft of $230 million from the Russian Treasury. However, the cause of death remains unknown.
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Whistleblowing
Perepilichny, an investment banker, fled Moscow in 2009 after a disagreement with business partners saw him fearing for his life. He moved to the exclusive Saint George's Hill estate in Weybridge, where he lived in a £12,500-a-month luxury home.
In 2010, Perepilichny handed over documents to Swiss prosecutors detailing the involvement of senior Russian officials in the fraud of $220 million from the Russian Treasury through Hermitage Capital Management. The case has developed worldwide media coverage through the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
Death
On 10 November 2012, Perepilichny travelled back to the UK from a three day trip to Paris. After arriving home, he went out to jog, and was found dead on the road by a neighbour. A video of his corpse was widely circulated online in the aftermath of his death.
Perepilichny had no reported health issues when he collapsed. Two autopsies proved inconclusive, as did advanced toxicology tests. At a pre-inquest hearing, a lawyer representing Perepilichny's life insurance company told the court Gelsemium had been found in his body.
Allegations of conspiracy
Weeks after his death, the British press first reported that in 2011 Perepilichny's name had been placed on a list of targets wanted dead by conspirators in the Treasury theft.