Reports: Patarkatsishvili May Leave Georgia
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Georgian service reported on March 2 that Tbilisi-based influential financial and media tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili who has invested tens of millions of U.S. dollars in the Georgian economy over last few years, may emigrate from Georgia into Ukraine.
Patarkatsishvili, who is wanted by Russia for fraud allegations, arrived in Georgia in 2001 a, started buying shares of independent media sources, investments in real estate, founded charity organization and eventually became the President of Georgian Olympic Committee and chairs the business lobby group Federation of Georgian Businessmen.
RFE/RL cites two reasons that might be behind Patarkatsishvili?s decision to leave Georgia: sudden death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, with whom Patarkatsishvili had close ties and recent peaceful power transition in Ukraine, which according to the RFE/RL, ?has become a favorable destination for those tycoons, who are exiled from Russia? after the Orange Revolution.
Recently, news broke out that Patarkatsishvili stopped financing some of his media sources, which are united in the Imedi Holding. The Holding unites television and radio station, as well as news agency Interpress. According to some reports Patarkatsishvili stopped financing of Interpress news agency. Last year, Patarkatsishvili closed down the daily Mtavari Gazeti (the Main Newspaper), which also was the part of his media holding.
?It is not ruled out that by decreasing funding of Georgian media sources, Patarkatsishvili prepares for setting up new media holding in Ukraine,? RFE/RL?s Georgian service reported.
