[litvinenko] why were the statements made in russian

The news said that tests on two staff members at the Millennium Hotel in central London and on one at the Sheraton Hotel have shown exposure to polonium-210, Britain's Health Protection Agency said. Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare said a Swede who had visited one of the hotels had "slightly elevated" levels of polonium.

What I find interesting is why they have to translate the statements made in Moscow into English back in London. Why were the statements made in Russian in the first place, seeing as it was a British investigative team? The category of witness who so far has been and would have been involved in this case would almost certainly speak tolerable English, so why this retreat into ‘no speako Angliski’?

In the last five years, it’s fair to say that the majority of young people and much of the business community in the major Russian cities have learnt English, at least to conversational level, there are teachers of English everywhere who would have been more than competent and even if it had to be done formally, there are translation services dotted around. But the thing is, once again – most speak English. I can only see the insistence on speaking Russian as obstructive in this situation.