Patarkatsishvili Charged with Plotting Coup, Terrorism
Badri Patarkatsishvili, a business tycoon who ran for the presidency, has been charged with conspiring to overthrow the government and plotting and planning two seperate “terrorist acts”, one of which was allegedly aimed at a government minister.
The Georgian General Prosecutor’s Office said in a short press statement on January 10 that it had also frozen Patarkatsishvili’s personal bank account at Standard Bank. Patarkatsishvili has also been summoned for questioning.
The General Prosecutor’s Office officially declared Patarkatsishvili a suspect in an alleged conspiracy to overthrow the government on November 7. As no charges were brought within a month, his status as a suspect was dropped.
In December, the Georgian authorities released compromising video and audio tapes implicating him and his allies in an alleged coup plot. The audio tapes purport to show Patarkatsishvili offering USD 100 million to a top Interior Ministry official, Irakli Kodua, in exchange for – among other things – “neutralizing” Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.
In a video address to the staff of his TV company, Imedi, on December 25 Patarkatsishvili confirmed he had offered the bribe, but claimed his intention was to prevent bloodshed in the event of post-election protests. The money, he said, had nothing to do with the alleged coup.
Patarkatsishvili, who spends most of his time in Britain and Israel, contested the January 5 presidential election, winning, according to official preliminary results, almost 7% of the vote.
