The inquest into the death of the Russian man who was a witness in the high profile Magnitsky case has revealed that he died of natural causes when he collapsed after jogging in southern England in November 2012.

Alexander Perepilichny, 44, cooperated with Swiss investigators, who were looking into the death of Sergey Magnitsky and a $240 million money laundering case, involving Russian officials and organized crime.

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Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer, who was held in pre-trial detention in connection with tax fraud and died in 2009 due to being denied crucial medical treatment from prison officials.

His death led to an international outcry and the passing of the so-called Magnitsky Act by the US Congress in 2012 that allowed sanctions on officials.

Shortly before testifying in the case in November 2012, Perepilichny died as he went for a jog outside his luxury home on St George's Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey, southwest of London.

The sudden death 44-year-old, who had been seeking refuge in Britain since 2009, led the British media to suspect that he was poisoned.

“I am satisfied on the evidence I have heard I can properly and safely conclude that it was more likely than not that he [Perepilichny] died of natural causes, namely sudden arrhythmic death syndrome,” Coroner Nicholas Hilliard said on Wednesday.

There really is no direct evidence that he was unlawfully killed.

Hillard also turned down claims that traces of deadly poison made from rare gelsemium plant, which only grows in Russia and China, had been discovered in Perepilichny’s stomach. The unidentified compound in the man’s stomach had nothing to do with gelsemium, also known as “heartbreak grass,” and was widely occurring, he said.

London police share the stance that there was no evidence of “any hostile state actor” being involved in the businessman’s death and isn’t carrying any investigation into the incident, Hillard added.

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