Now the High Court will rule whether sensitive police files can be released

Hearing was to look at death of Russian tycoon Alexander Perepilichnyy

The inquest over Alexander Perepilichnyy's death has been delayed again

A coroner has blasted Government 'nonsense' after an inquest into the death of a Russian whistleblower, claimed to be the victim of an assassination attempt, was delayed for six months amid accusations of a cover-up.

The Government was asked to provide further evidence over sensitive police documents surrounding the death of Alexander Perepilichnyy in order for the High Court to rule on whether they should be withheld from the inquest on the grounds of national security.

The inquest was due to be held almost four years after the Russian father-of-two collapsed and died while running near his £3million St George's Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012.

Today it was pushed back to March next year after a Government barrister said a minister had decided Surrey Coroner, Richard Travers, could not see the three police files.

Melanie Cumberland told Woking Coroners' Court a letter from the Government stated an application to the High Court should instead be made over their disclosure.

The coroner's legal representative, Peter Skelton QC, said correspondence with the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office had 'neither confirmed nor denied' the presence of third party involvement or threats made to the 44-year-old Russian's life.

An earlier inquest pre-hearing was told that Russian interpol linked Mr Perepilichnyy to organised money laundering in 2007 and 2009 before he fled to the UK and became a whistleblower for the Swiss authorities.

Russian whistle blower 'linked to money laundering by Interpol' was found dead in 'possible assassination' near his Surrey mansion (pictured)

The tycoon had revealed information in an investigation into a £140 million Russian money-laundering scheme in Swiss bank accounts when he was found dead near his home.

The pre-inquest hearing was told the authorities were investigating the alleged complicity of corrupt Russian officials in a multi-million pound fraud of Hermitage Capital Management.

The information received from Mr Perepilichnyy was described as 'explosive' by a representative for the company, Ms Henrietta Hill.

Police ruled out foul play at the time of his death and refused to comment on any links he may have had with British spies after he collapsed while jogging outside his home.

Forensic tests over a natural death came back negative, however and it was later revealed at a later pre-inquest hearing that the man had been known to the service and had been linked to money laundering crimes.

Other hearings were told that Mr Perepilichnyy took out several multi-million pounds life insurance policies, including one which only became active eight days before his death, with Legal & General.

Police ruled out foul play at the time of his death (near home pictured) and refused to comment on any links he may have had with British spies

Mr Travers said: 'I would like to say that I am enormously frustrated. I have done my level best to keep the hearing date of September.

'I know that Ms Perepilichnyy, through her counsel on previous occasions, has sought to press me in any way we can, that we should keep it because of the pressures, quite naturally being brought upon her and her family.

'I am now placed in a position where I have really no choice, no choice but to vacate that hearing date and in effect, as the Government wants me to, to go to the High Court which I did not regard as necessary.

Ms Cumberland, representing the Government at the hearing, admitted there may have been a 'lack of understanding' but she said the Government's correspondence to the coroner had been 'co-operative.'

However, the coroner stormed: 'Why did they prepare a ministerial certificate that I cannot look at? It just seems to me to be a complete nonsense.'

He added the minister could have disclosed the documents because 'it was always an option for the Government to go to the High Court to challenge my findings.'

Dijon Basu, representing Surrey Police, said he found the months of Government intervention with the inquest case 'astonishing.'

The hearing was told the Government had given the coroner a 'confidential gist' over the sensitive documents but Mr Travers had asked for further evidence in the form of a 'ministerial certificate.'

It was heard that producing that document was a straight forward process.

The next date in the inquest saga will take place in March next year at Surrey Coroner's Court

Bob Moxon Browne QC, representing Legal and General, said: 'You cannot see the reasons why the interested parties cannot see the gist, that is truly an Alice in Wonderland position.'

He said his client was 'appalled by this turn of events' and asked if the inquest could go ahead.

Mr Browne added £500 million was moved from a bank account concerning the case the day before Mr Perepilichnyy was 'poisoned'.

Mr Browne had previously named Russian lawyer Andrei Pavlov as a 'candidate for the killing' and told the inquest: 'He is someone who, for reasons of his own, may be quite keen to give evidence but not to come to the United Kingdom.'

Henrietta Hill, for Hermitage Capital Management, argued against holding the inquest and said the information which was sought by the coroner concerned threats to the life to Mr Perepilichnyy, third party involvement in his death and a list of named individuals.

She added the application to the High Court and hearing over the disclosure would also take up to three days of court time.