Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky found dead
23 March 2013
Mr Berezovsky had made his fortune importing Mercedes cars into Russia
in the 1990s
Obituary: Boris Berezovsky
The exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his
home in Surrey.
The circumstances of the death of the 67-year-old – a wanted man in
Russia, and an opponent of President Vladimir Putin – are not yet
known.
A former Kremlin power-broker whose fortunes declined under Mr Putin,
Mr Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000.
Last year, he lost a £3bn ($4.7bn) damages claim against Chelsea
Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.
Mr Berezovsky claimed he had been intimidated by Mr Abramovich into
selling shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft for a “fraction of their
true worth”.
The allegations were completely rejected by the London Commercial
Court judge, who called Mr Berozovsky an “inherently unreliable”
witness.
BBC world affairs reporter Richard Galpin said sources have told him
that Mr Berezovsky was depressed after the loss of the court case and
was under financial pressure.
The tycoon’s wealth is thought to have considerably diminished in
recent years, leaving him struggling to pay debts in the wake of
costly court cases.
Diminished wealth
Mr Berezovsky had made his fortune in the 1990s selling imported
Mercedes as well as Russian-made cars.
Later owning Sibneft and as primary shareholder in Russia’s main
television channel, he supported Boris Yeltsin’s rise to power.
Mr Berezovsky survived numerous assassination attempts, including a
bomb that decapitated his chauffeur.
During the later years of Yeltsin’s presidency, Mr Berezovsky was part
of the leader’s inner circle as deputy secretary of Russia’s security
council.
“Boris Berezovsky was one of the most powerful men in Russia back in
the 1990s,” said the BBC’s Moscow correspondent, Steve Rosenberg.
“He rose from being a mathematician, a computer programmer and a used
car salesman, to being such an influential figure in Boris Yeltsin’s
Russia.”
He then played a role in Mr Putin’s rise in the late-1990s, before the
new president moved to curb the political ambitions of Russia’s
oligarchs.
Leaving Russia for self-imposed exile in the UK, Mr Berezovsky became
one of Mr Putin’s fiercest critics.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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