Police: Berezovsky death a suicide

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WINDSOR, England, March 28 (UPI) -- An exiled Russian tycoon found dead in his bathroom appears to have committed suicide, a British police officer said Thursday during an inquest.

Detective Inspector Mark Bissell said material found around Boris Berezovsky's neck matched material tied to a shower rail, The Independent reported.

Bissell told the coroner at a hearing in Berkshire County there appeared to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Berezovsky, who was found dead Saturday on the floor of the bathroom of his home in Ascot.

An autopsy Monday "found the case of death was consistent with hanging," the police officer said. "The pathologist saw nothing to indicate a violent struggle or any involvement by any third party."

The detective said third party involvement in the death hasn't been ruled out.

Berezovsky, 67, was granted asylum in Britain in 2003 after he clashed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was believed to have been in financial difficulties after losing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit to his former business partner.

Speaking after the inquest, Alex Goldfarb, a friend of Berezovsky, said he last saw his friend two weeks ago. At that time, Goldfarb said, he "was depressed and stressed but I felt it was under control."