Ex-general ‘was contaminated’

A retired army major-general tested positive for a radioactive substance after two men suspected of poisoning former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko had visited his offices, an inquiry heard.

John Holmes, who served with the British Army between 1970 and 2002, said his private security firms had paid Mr Litvinenko thousands of pounds for investigative work into Russian individuals.

Mr Litvinenko was also asked to help improve access to Russian gas giant Gazprom for Mr Holmes’s business Erinys.