LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2019) Russia is outside of the UK jurisdiction, the Russian embassy in London said Sunday after the lawyer of the Amesbury poison victim proposed suing the Russian government for damages.
The Mirror tabloid said Saturday that Charlie Rowley hired renowned injury lawyer Patrick Maguire to seek justice after he and his girlfriend unknowingly ingested a toxin linked to the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in nearby Salisbury. Rowley survived after 10 days in coma, while his girlfriend died.
"As regards a hypothetical lawsuit against Russia, let us recall that, under the principle of sovereign equality, the Russian state is not subject to jurisdiction of the British state, and vice versa," the embassy said in a statement.
The daily said, citing Maguire, that suing Russia was just one of the options he was weighing as his client's greatest concern was to uncover the truth behind what really happened. Rowley wants a million Pounds ($1.2 million) as side effects of the poison continue to take their toll on him.
"For our part, we fully share Charlie's desire to establish truth regarding his poisoning that also resulted in the death of his partner Dawn Sturgess," the embassy noted, adding that only the UK government could give answers to many questions it had in common with Rowley.
London has blamed Moscow for the March 2018 attempt to kill ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with what it said was a nerve agent. A perfume bottle allegedly containing the toxin was found by Rowley and given to his partner in July. Russia has denied any role in either incident.
