Imedi TV: Tbilisi Agrees to Extradite Patarkatsishvili to Russia

The Georgian authorities have agreed to extradite Badri Patarkatsishvili, a media and financial tycoon, to Russia, Tbilisi-based Imedi TV, co-owned by Patarkatsishvili, reported on March 7.

The television station cited an unnamed ?source? and said that the information is ?unofficial.? The station also said that Patarkatsishvili is ?now wanted by Georgian law enforcers.?

Georgian governmental officials declined to confirm the report.

?I have no information about it,? Eka Zguladze, Deputy Interior Minster, told reporters after the government session.

?I have no information; I can not comment on this,? Gia Kavtaradze, the Justice Minister, said.

?Who is the source of this information? The extradition of Patarkatsishvili to Russia by the Georgian authorities is ruled out,? Kakha Lomaia, the Education Minister, said.

Patarkatsishvili, who is currently based in London, said in an interview with Imedi TV on March 5 that he has left Georgia and transferred his ?businesses to the West? to avoid becoming engaged in the country?s internal political standoff between the authorities and opposition.

Patarkatsishvili, who has been at odds with the Georgian authorities recently, also said that he is not afraid of being extradited to Russia because he holds Georgian citizenship ?and it is hardly imaginable that I will face a threat in this regard.?

In recent days Imedi TV, which is co-owned by Patarkatsishvili and News Corporation, has designated a large portion of its political program air time to covering issues related to the authorities stance towards Patarkatsishvili.

One cause of this extensive coverage is a taped phone conversation between prison inmate Paata Mamardashvili, described as a criminal boss, and Gia Dgebuadze, who Imedi TV says is an official from the Interior Ministry?s Department for Constitutional Security (DCS). In the taped conversation, which was aired on Imedi TV, the Interior Ministry official tells the criminal boss to try to get ?compromising materials? against Patarkatsishvili.

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