Berezovsky died from hanging

An inquest into the death of the Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky will be held on Thursday.

The 67-year-old was formally identified by his next of kin earlier this afternoon.

A post-mortem yesterday indicated he died from hanging.

A post-mortem into the death of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, 67, found the cause of death to be "consistent with hanging", Thames Valley Police has said.

The results of a post mortem on the body of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky are expected this evening, Thames Valley Police have said.

His body was moved from his Berkshire mansion overnight and forensic examination of the property is expected to take several days.

Thames Valley Police, who are investigating the death of Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, have said they have no evidence of any third party involvement, which suggests they probably think he took his own life.

Yet they say they still want to talk to close friends and they are accutely aware of all the suspicions that have been thrown up as a result of this untimely death.

But it has to be said most friends do seem to think he probably took his own life. They talk about him being a broken man.

There was one quote which said the Russians didn't need to kill him because six months ago he was devastated by the British courts - a reference to his legal defeat to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

It cost him £70 million. And, perhaps more importantly for a proud man, it shredded his reputation.

The body of Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has been removed from the mansion where he died ahead of a Home Office post-mortem.

Mr Berezovsky's body was removed from his home in Ascot, Berkshire, overnight, Thames Valley Police said.

Police are continuing their investigation into the 67 year old's unexplained death.

The wife of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has said that Boris Berezovsky had "many enemies" and that it was "not likely" he that he had committed suicide.

Marina Litvinenko, a friend of Mr Berezovsky, told The Daily Telegraph: "From my point of view it is not likely that he committed suicide,"

"He had a lot of enemies. He was an outspoken person and never tried to hide what he thought.

"When I talked to him last he was a little recovered and I believed he would be better. He started to take interest and to ask about my son."

Boris Berezovsky is thought to have been in financial difficulty before his death, after paying out large legal fees over the last few years.

In July 2011, he paid out Britain's biggest ever divorce settlement to his ex-wife Galina Besharova, with some reports suggesting that the deal may have been worth up to £100 million.

Thames Valley Police have advised there is no evidence of any third party involvement in the as-yet-unexplained death of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky.

ITV News' Neil Connery reports:

Read: Police release account following Berezovsky death

Thames Valley Police is continuing to investigate the unexplained death of 67-year-old Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky.

Thames Valley Police have released a detailed account of the events after Mr Berezovsky was found dead at 3.23pm on Saturday in Ascot, Berkshire.

Crime Officers are currently inside the property carrying out a full forensic examination of the scene.

• An employee of Mr Berezovsky gave an account that he called the ambulance service on Saturday after being concerned for Mr Berezovsky's welfare.
• The employee had not seen him since around 10:30pm on Friday night.

• On Saturday, the employee forced open his bathroom door, which was locked from the inside, and discovered the body of Mr Berezovsky on the floor.
• A paramedic declared him dead at the scene.
• The employee was the only other person in the house when the body was discovered.

• While the paramedic was on scene members of Mr Berezovsky’s family arrived at the property.
• Chemical specialists confirmed that the scene was safe and clear to work in after the paramedic's health and safety device, the personal electronic dosimeter (PED), was triggered as they left the property.