Georgian Embassy in London issued no visa to Boris Berezovsky or Platon Elenin

The Georgian Embassy in London did not issue any visa to either Boris Berezovsky or Platon Elenin.

"We did not give a visa to a certain Platon Elenin," a spokesman for the Georgian Embassy in London told RIA Novosti, "nor did the Embassy receive such an application." The head of the Georgian frontier department's press service, Shalva Londaridze, said that Berezovsky produced to the frontier guards documents issued for Platon Elenin with a Georgian visa stamped in London.

"He could have got a visa upon his arrival in the country, which can be done by any foreigner at the border," explained the Georgian Embassy in London.

The origin of the document used by Berezovsky is not yet known.

Commenting on his lightning visit to Georgia on the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Wednesday, Berezovsky said that the British authorities "issued [him] documents for different names," including Platon Elenin. Shalva Londaridze confirmed this and said that the Russian entrepreneur "had the British passport issued in July 2003." At that time, the legal actions regarding Berezovsky's extradition to Russia were not complete. Berezovsky was granted political asylum in Great Britain in September 2003.

The Home Office said it did not issue the document to Boris Berezovsky under another name. The Home Office is not in the habit of issuing several passports or any other travel documents to one person for different names, a spokesman for the Home Office told RIA Novosti.

We usually do not discuss the affairs of private people, said the Home Office, but as far as Boris Berezovsky is concerned, we can say that he got an asylum in our country. When a person receives refugee status in this country but has not become a citizen yet, he has the right to go abroad, but is not given a British passport or travel documents in accordance with the 1951 Convention.