DHAKA: A man accused by a public inquiry of being one of the killers of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has branded the report's conclusions "nonsense".

Andrei Lugovoi said the inquiry presented "invention" and "supposition" and its chairman had "gone mad", reports the BBC.

The inquiry said Russian's Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun deliberately poisoned Litvinenko and the killing was "probably approved" by President Putin.

Russia has accused Sir Robert Owen's public inquiry of being "politicised".

'Nonsense conclusions'

Sir Robert's long-awaited report into Litvinenko's death found the two Russian men deliberately poisoned the 43-year-old in London in 2006 by putting the radioactive substance polonium-210 into his drink at a hotel. Both men deny any involvement in the killing.

Litvinenko died as a result of his poisoning in November that year.

Lugovoi said: "I've seen the nonsense conclusions of your judge who has clearly gone mad.

"I saw nothing new there. I am very sorry that 10 years on nothing new has been presented, only invention, supposition, rumours.

"And the fact that such words as 'possibly' and 'probably' were used in the report, means there is no proof, nothing concrete against us."

BDST:  1102 HRS, JAN 22, 2016
RS