Exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky 's death is `` consistent with hanging '' with no sign of a violent struggle , British investigators announced late Monday . The 67-year-old Berezovsky was found dead at a country estate south of London over the weekend , triggering speculation about the fate of a onetime tycoon known for his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin . `` The results of the post-mortem examination , carried out by a Home Office pathologist , have found the cause of death is consistent with hanging , '' Thames Valley police reported . `` The pathologist has found nothing to indicate a violent struggle . '' Investigators are still waiting for toxicology test results , which could take several weeks , the statement said . And the house in Ascot will remain under guard while investigators continue to probe his death , police added . He was found in the locked bathroom of a guest suite , police confirmed . Police scouring the scene Sunday said they had not found any sign of `` third-party involvement , '' a detective said . Speculation about Berezovsky 's cause of death ran the gamut from suicide to heart attack with some pointing to his declining fortune as a possible clue . He is believed to have been in serious financial difficulties after running up huge legal fees in recent years , including what was reportedly Britain 's biggest-ever divorce settlement and a losing lawsuit against a former friend and ally , Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich . A close family friend , speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity , said that Berezovsky was found dead by a bodyguard -- a former member of the Israeli spy agency Mossad , as Berezovsky 's bodyguards all were . He normally had three , but only one was working at the time he died , the friend said . The home where Berezovsky died is owned by his ex-wife Galina , the friend said , but Berezovsky had been staying there for a month because few people knew how to reach him there . He believed his houses were bugged had repeatedly re-written his will over the last few years ; in addition , the source said , he had discussed the importance of returning to Russia and was contemplating having his body repatriated to his homeland . He was not on medication , as far as the source was aware . Another source characterized Berezovsky 's finances as `` an immediate liquidity squeeze , but long-term , he had assets . '' Over the weekend , close associates had denied that Berezovsky may have committed suicide , Russia 's state-owned RIA Novosti news agency reported . The agency said a family friend told Russian media that Berezovsky had suffered a heart attack . The colorful Berezovsky had been a Moscow math professor and systems analyst before the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991 . In the freewheeling era that followed , he made a fortune selling cars and parlayed those riches into political influence by buying into Russian media outlets . He supported Boris Yeltsin , Russia 's first post-Soviet president , and was an early backer of Putin . But after winning his Kremlin office in 2000 , Putin 's government began trying to collect on tax claims against `` oligarchs '' like Berezovsky . Berezovsky fled Russian and began agitating against Putin from Britain , calling for a coup to oust the Russian president . In 2003 , as Russia was seeking his return , Berezovsky was granted political asylum by British authorities after they realized he was wanted on political grounds , not criminal ones , according to published reports at the time . The case strained relations between Moscow and London . Berezovsky was convicted of fraud and tax evasion in absentia by a Russian court in 2007 . Berezovsky also blamed the Kremlin for the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko , who was poisoned by radioactive material in London . For years , Berezovsky bankrolled the effort of Litvinenko 's widow to push for an inquest into her husband 's death . In a deathbed statement , Litvinenko blamed Putin , an accusation the Kremlin strongly denied . Moscow is ready to consider burying him in Russia , if it receives such a request , Russian media said , quoting presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov .
Berezovsky was in `` an immediate liquidity squeeze '' but had assets , friend says . Exiled Russian tycoon 's death consistent with hanging , autopsy finds . He fled to the UK after a falling out with the Kremlin . Detective : " The police are looking at it as murder and not suicide.