No sign of foul play in death of exiled Russian tycoon Berezovsky

USPA News - Officers investigating the death of self-exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky have so far found no evidence to suggest he was the victim of foul play, British police said on Sunday, a day after the Putin-foe was found dead at his estate near London. The body of Berezovsky, 67, was discovered on Saturday afternoon at his home in Ascot, a small town about 21 miles (35 kilometers) west of London.

His body was discovered on the floor of his bathroom after he had not been seen since 10:30 p.m. local time on Friday, about 17 hours before his body was found by an employee. The employee, whose identity has not been released, has told investigators that he forced open the bathroom door after becoming concerned for Berezovsky`s welfare. "The employee was the only other person in the house when the body was discovered," Thames Valley Police said in a statement on Sunday. The cause of death remains unknown, but investigators have said they have so far found no evidence to suggest the businessman was the victim of foul play. "The investigation team is building a picture of the last days of Mr. Berezovsky`s life, speaking to close friends and family to gain a better understanding of his state of mind," said Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Brown. Brown said investigators are keeping an `open mind` until an autopsy has been carried out. "It would be wrong to speculate on the cause of death until the post-mortem has been carried out," he said. "We do not have any evidence at this stage to suggest third party involvement." Earlier, specialist chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN) officers were called to the scene after a paramedic`s personal electronic dosimeter (PED) was triggered. "This is a health and safety device used extensively by the emergency services," police said, adding that tests confirmed the scene was safe. Berezovsky, who had survived several assassination attempts, built his fortune in the early 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union. He was once a member of Russian President Boris Yeltsin`s inner circle but later clashed with Vladimir Putin, who succeeded Yeltsin and remains president. He fled to Britain in the early 2000s and sought political asylum for what he claimed were politically motivated fraud charges.