Nikolai Glushkov: Inquest into death of Russian businessman opened as murder investigation continues

Hearing adjourned because of continuing murder inquiry after 68-year-old was found dead in London home

An inquest into the death of Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov has opened after he was murdered in his London home.

Richard Furniss, the assistant coroner at West London Coroner's Court, adjourned proceedings because of the ongoing police investigation into his death.

It was initially treated as unexplained but detectives opened a murder inquiry after a post-mortem found the 68-year-old had died of “compression to the neck”.

Mr Glushkov’s body was discovered at his home in Clarence Avenue, New Malden, on 12 March.

Coroner’s officer Gary Waple told the court police were called at 10.46pm by London Ambulance Service paramedics, who pronounced Mr Glushkov dead two minutes later.

“I have to adjourn this inquest pending further police investigation and enquiries,” Mr Furniss said, and did not set a date for the next hearing.

Counter-terror police are leading the ongoing probe because of Mr Glushkov's connection to Russian dissidents including Boris Berezovsky, who died in 2013.

At the time, Mr Glushkov said he believed his friend had been murdered, telling The Guardian: “I don’t believe Boris died of natural causes. Too many deaths [of Russian exiles] have been happening.”

Mr Berezovsky was an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and friend of murdered Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

His death is among up to 14 being reviewed by police and MI5 in light of the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

Mr Glushkov worked for Mr Berezovsky’s LogoVaz car company in Russia, before becoming the first deputy general director for Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot in the late 1990s.

He served a five-year term for money laundering and fraud in Russia, then fled the country after being handed a two-year suspended sentence for fraud in 2006.

Last year, he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and a 1 million ruble fine in absentia for allegedly defrauding Aeroflot – a case that continued at the time of his death.

Mr Glushkov, who has two children, was due to attend a commercial court hearing last Monday morning but did not arrive, sparking concerns among friends who later confirmed his death.

His body was reportedly found by his daughter, Natalia, who is believed to have made the first 999 call.

Mr Glushkov’s relatives issued a statement through Scotland Yard, saying: ”We are devastated at the loss of Nikolai and are coming to terms with our grief.“

Police have stressed that there is no evidence of a link between the murder and the nerve agent attack on Mr Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

Detectives are appealing for information and no arrests have yet been made.

Russia’s official Investigations Committee has launched its own criminal investigations into the attempted murder of the Skripals and Mr Glushkov’s death.