By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent
The driver of a snow plough involved in the fatal collision that killed Total CEO Christophe de Margerie at a Moscow airport was drunk, according to Russian investigators.
Frenchman De Margerie and all three of the crew on board his private jet died in the incident on the runway at Vnukovo international airport on Monday night.
"It has been established that the driver of the snow plough was in a drunk state," the investigative committee said in a statement, adding that preliminary inquiries would focus on "an error by the pilots and the actions of the snowplough driver."
The driver's lawyer denied the claim, saying that his client has a heart problem and never touches alcohol.
"My client has chronic heart disease, he doesn't drink at all. His relatives and doctors can confirm this," lawyer Alexander Karabanov told Interfax news agency.
"At the moment of the accident he was sober."
The collision happened just before midnight local time (9pm UK time) as De Margerie's Dassault Falcon jet was preparing to take-off from Moscow bound for Paris.
Weather conditions at the time were poor, with dense fog and heavy rain reducing visibility to 350 metres.
Investigators said airport employees were being questioned as witnesses, and several may be suspended.
De Margerie had been in Moscow for a Russian government meeting on foreign investment.
Russian president Vladimir Putin paid tribute to the 63-year-old, who had defended Kremlin energy policy and cautioned against reducing European dependence on Russian gas.
In a telegram to French president Francois Hollande, Mr Putin said: "I was shocked to hear the news about a plane crash at Moscow Vnukovo airport that claimed the lives of Total's Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie and members of the crew.
"I kindly ask you to convey my sincere condolences and words of sympathy and support to the family and friends of Christophe de Margerie, an outstanding French businessman, who stood at the origins of many joint projects that laid the foundations for a long-term fruitful co-operation between Russia and France in the energy sector.
"We have lost a true friend of our country but he will remain in our memories."
Foreign minister Laurent Fabius described de Margerie as a "visionary" and an "exceptional leader".
"The tragic loss of Christophe de Margerie comes as a deep shock for our industry and our country," he said.
Total is one of the biggest foreign investors in Russia, where it is involved in a $27bn joint venture to tap natural gas reserves in northwest Siberia.
The company has said that international sanctions will not affect its work on the Yamal project, and forecast that Russia would become its biggest source of oil and gas by 2020.
In a statement, the group said: "Total confirms with deep regret and great sadness that Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie died just after 10pm (Paris time) on October 20 in a private plane crash at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, following a collision with a snow removal machine."
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