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| Boris Berezovsky |
(Scroll down for video) A Russian Jewish billionaire who was living in exile in London was found dead last week inside his home, according to police reports in the United Kingdom.
Now, police have confirmed that Boris Berezovsky died in a manner "consistent with hanging," British police said in a brief statement late Monday announcing the results of a post-mortem examination.
The survey found "nothing to indicate a violent struggle," said the statement.
"Further tests will now be carried out, including toxicology and histology tests. These results are likely to take several weeks," the statement added. A forensic examination of the house, where Berezovsky had died continued for several days, police said.
“Berezovsky’s death was a big loss to the Jewish community as he helped a lot of Jewish causes,” Mark Kaufman, the head of Jewish Charities in London, told YourJewishNews.com.
This was a breaking news update. The following is what we reported last week. An exiled Jewish Russian billionaire was found dead in his home in London, England, in what some suspect as a suicide after a string of problems which hit the billionaire recently, according to press reports in the United Kingdom.
Police trained in handling chemicals, biological and nuclear materials have launched a search of the Berkshire house of Russian oligarch, Boris Berezovsky, hours after the fierce Kremlin critic was found dead.
The circumstances of the 67-year-old's death were unclear, although there were unconfirmed reports that he had committed suicide on the property in Ascot. Police said the death was being investigated as unexplained and the hazardous materials search was a precaution. Reports said his body was discovered in a bathroom.
Berezovsky’s death comes just months after losing a high-profile and personally disastrous trial against fellow Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. He had accused the Chelsea football club owner of racketeering, breach of trust and violation of contract, in connection with a Russian oil company.
After the claims were dismissed, he was ordered by the Supreme Court to pay 35 million pounds in legal costs. Her financial difficulties were exacerbated recently after his former lover, Elena Gorbunova, 43, said that Berezovsky owed him 5 million pounds in compensation for the sale of her 25 million pound residence in Surrey.
Friends said that Berezovsky has become deeply depressed last year, not only because he lost to Abramovich, but because his conviction of the case had damaged his reputation.
The billionaire had a high opinion of the British legal system, which he explained in an interview as the reason he had relocated to the U.K., and is said to have been upset that the judge, Justice Gloster, described him as "dishonest", "unreliable" and even "a cheater".
A close friend said Berezovsky had taken antidepressants last year and had been admitted to the Priory clinic for a brief period of about four months while being treated for depression, adding: "He was very, very down. He spoke of suicide and would say: ‘That's it, it's all over, no sense of anything. The best thing that could happen to me is that I have a heart attack.’”Mobile video not loading? Click here to view