Another political assasination in London?

by | Feb 13, 2008


Looks like another mate of Boris Berezovsky’s might have been assassinated in London…This time it’s Arkadi Patarkatsishvili, or Badri as he was more commonly known, who was the richest man in Georgia, and Berezovsky’s long-time partner.

He was found dead yesterday in Leatherhead, outside London. He was 52, and apparently died of ‘heart failure’. The police said: “As with all unexpected deaths it is being treated as suspicious. A post mortem will be held later today to establish the cause of death”.

Badri was recently accused of plotting a coup against the president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili. The government of Georgia claimed they had recordings of the tycoon discussing ways to bump off the president, and that they got these recordings after being tipped off by British intelligence. You can listen to the alleged recordings here, as they’ve been helpfully posted on youtube.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdMpHJBK7Rw 425 355]

He was the richest man in Georgia, the owner of Imeda TV station (recently closed by the Georgian government) in which his partner was Rupert Murdoch. He also owned many Russian assets with Boris Berezovsky in the 1990s, including the main TV channel, ORT. Back then, his head of security was one Andrei Lugovoi, who is now wanted by the British government for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.The whole thing is incredibly murky. Badri told the Sunday Times a month ago that he feared for attempts on his life, and his fears seem to have been well-founded. Was it Georgian intelligence killing off an enemy of the state? Was it Russian intelligence trying to discredit the Georgian government? Was it just an accident? If it wasn’t, then one thing is clear – it’s open season for assassinations in London.

Author

  • Jules Evans

    Jules Evans is a freelance journalist and writer, who covers two main areas: philosophy and psychology (for publications including The Times, Psychologies, New Statesman and his website, Philosophy for Life), and emerging markets (for publications including The Spectator, Economist, Times, Euromoney and Financial News).

    View all posts

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