Two Arrested, One Charged in Connection with Patarkatsishvili Case

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has detained two former officials of Constitutional Security Department, Davit Kokashvili and Ilia Gamgebeli, and charged one person, Levan Kardava, in connection with the case of the deceased businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili.

“The investigation into the case established the following: in the period of June-July 2006, officers of the Department of Constitutional Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia planned an attack on the house of Arkadi (Badri) Patarkatsishvili in Ureki in order to blackmail him. Prior to the event, officers of the Constitutional Security Department instructed then head of the Ureki Police, Jemal Shamatava, to withdraw groups of on-duty police officers from the home of Patarkatsishvili.

The Prosecutor’s Office reports that Jemal Shamatava warned Patarkatsishvili regarding the upcoming attack.

The former officials learned about it and decided to punish Shamatava. They staged a robbery and instructed a man who was detained for robbery to accuse Shamatava of torture and sexual abuse,” the Prosecutor’s Office says.

The Agency reports that the man hired against Shamatava inflicted injuries on his body at Ureki police station and accused Shamatava of torture and abuse. Based on the actions and artificial conditions organized by G.D., Jemal Shamatava was arrested illegally and deliberately and was sentenced to nine years in prison,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

The investigative agency explains that all three persons face from 9 to 12 years of imprisonment.

Arkady (Badri) Patarkatsishvili was a Jewish-Georgian businessman who also became extensively involved in politics. He contested the 2008 Georgian presidential election and came third with 7.1% of the votes. Although his first name was Arkady, he was best known by the nickname "Badri". From the early 1980s, until the time of his death, he was a flamboyant figure in business and was behind some of the most successful companies in today's Russia. He was also one of the country's largest philanthropists.

Patarkatsishvili suddenly died intestate in February 2008 sparking one of the largest estate battles in legal history. In October 2018 the government of Georgia officially accused the former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili of ordering the assassination of Badri Patarkatsishvili.

By Ana Dumbadze