Patarkatsishvili Remanded in Custody in Absentia

Tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili was late on January 15 remanded in custody for two months by Tbilisi City Court – in absentia.

Patarkatsishvili, who ran in the recent presidential election, was charged by the General Prosecutors Office on January 10 with conspiring to overthrow the government and plotting and planning two separate “terrorist acts”, one of which was allegedly aimed at a government minister.

Shalva Shavgulidze, an attorney acting on behalf of Patarkatsishvili, told Civil.Ge on January 16 that he planned to appeal the ruling in the Court of Appeals. He and Patarkatsishvili maintain the charges are politically-motivated.

Shavgulidze said Patarkatsishvili could only be placed on a wanted list if the Court of Appeals upholds today’s ruling. “The Georgian authorities can demand his extradition only after that,” Shavgulidze said. “Our point, however, is that criminal proceedings against Patarkatsishvili were only launched after he announced his political ambitions, so we strongly believe that these are politically-motivated charges.”

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