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M. Continuo

Georgia opposition leader dies of heart attack


    TBILISI (Reuters) - Wealthy Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, a key leader of the opposition election campaign against President Mikhail Saakashvili, has died in London, one of his aides said on Wednesday.

    "Yes, I can confirm this, he died yesterday night", NonaGaprindashvili, a member of his campaign team, told Reuters. Areport on Georgian public television said the businessman haddied of a heart attack.

    "It happened at 11 o'clock (last night) at Badri's houseoutside London. As far as I know from his relatives, it was hisheart," Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, a friend andbusiness partner of Patarkatsishvili, told Reuters by phonefrom his London home.

    Patarkatsishvili, 52, a wealthy and prominent figure in hisnative Georgia, was living in London since last year afterGeorgian authorities accused him of plotting a coup against thepresident and issued a warrant for his arrest.

    Patarkatsishvili ran in Georgia's presidential election inJanuary but did not return to campaign for fear of beingarrested. He obtained seven percent of the votes.

    The businessman also part-owned Georgian independenttelevision station Imedi, which broadcast anti-governmentreports until Saakashvili sent in riot police to close it downin November.

    In December, London's Sunday Times newspaper published astory about an alleged plot to assassinate Patarkatsishvili.The businessman responded by appealing to Georgia's governmentto start an immediate investigation into the matter.

    (Reporting by Margarita Antidze and Guy Faulconbridge;Writing by Michael Stott; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)