By Margarita Antidze
TBILISI (Reuters) - Wealthy Georgian businessman BadriPatarkatsishvili, who led and financed a big oppositioncampaign against President Mikhail Saakashvili, has died inLondon, one of his aides said on Wednesday.
"Yes, I can confirm this, he died yesterday night," NonaGaprindashvili, the former head of his presidential electioncampaign, told Reuters. A report on Georgian public televisionsaid the businessman had died 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.
British police said they had not received any reports onhis death, suggesting that it was not being treated assuspicious. London coroners were not immediately reachable forcomment.
Patarkatsishvili, 52, a wealthy and prominent figure in hisnative Georgia, had been living in London since last year afterGeorgian authorities accused him of plotting a coup against thepresident and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Western powers have been eyeing developments in Georgiaclosely. The country lies on the route of a major oil pipelinein a strategic region bordering Turkey and Russia. It is at theheart of a tussle for influence between former Soviet masterMoscow and new allies in the West.
Authorities blamed Patarkatsishvili and his Imeditelevision station for stirring mass protests againstSaakashvili on the streets of Georgia last November, thebiggest challenge to the pro-Western president since he tookpower in 2003.
The protests were crushed when Saakashvili sent in riotpolice to fire rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators,sparking international condemnation.
Opposition leaders said the protests were triggered byanger at corruption and poverty in Georgia. Patarkatsishviliaccused Saakashvili of pushing his country into dictatorship.
The businessman, who made his fortune in Russia during the1990s, ran in Georgia's presidential election in January butdid not return to campaign in his homeland for fear of arrest.He obtained seven percent of the votes.
Saakashvili won the election on the first round but theopposition accused him of cheating and refused to accept theresult. Western monitors gave the poll a mixed verdict.
Following the election, a Georgian court seizedPatarkatsishvili's television station and other assets, a movethe businessman said was "part of the harassment by Saakashvilito destroy the opposition and enforce his falsified election".
In December, the Sunday Times published a story about analleged plot to murder Patarkatsishvili. The businessmanresponded by appealing to Georgia's government to start animmediate investigation into the matter.
The government dismissed the claims as fabrication.
(Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow andLuke Baker in London, writing by Michael Stott, editing byKeith Weir)
