Page 10 - GEORptNov18

the public to trust them. It remains to be seen what new tactics Ivanishvili’s ruling party will seek to employ to rebuild its popularity among the electorate.
2.3 Georgia prosecutors claim Saakashvili “approved” killing rival in 2008
The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia on October 17 announced it has completed investigations in the case of the alleged preparation of the killing of wealthy businessman and politician Badri Patarkatsishvili in February 2008, IPN reported . Persons involved in the case were retained with the court’s approval, prosecutors said.
Senior officials of the intelligence services (Constitutional Security Department) allegedly in February 2007 prepared the murder, which, it is claimed, was “approved” by the then President Mikheil Saakashvili, since Patarkatsishvili was his opponent and enemy.
The prosecutors announced the completion of the case and revealed evidence , namely audio recordings, against the former administration of Saakashvili, in a case with deep electoral impact, 10 days before the October 28 presidential elections. At the same time, the TV station Rustavi TV, controlled by the opposition , r eleased audio recordings allegedly pointing to the current administration’s plans to kill Saakashvili. In other developments on October 17, another TV station controlled by the opposition, Iberia TV (part of Omega Group), s topped broadcasting amid its management’s claims that the authorities are trying to shut down this critically-minded television service.
Former president Saakashvili, who prosecutors claim “approved” the killing of Patarkatsishvili, and the intelligence service officers who allegedly prepared the murderl, have rejected the charges. Saakashvili rejected the prosecutors' accusations in a Facebook post , accusing ruling party Georgian Dream of attempting to use the case to discredit the opposition’s candidate and the leading opposition party United National Movement ahead of the presidential election.
Patarkatsishvili was a Georgian businessman who also became extensively involved in politics. He ran in the January 2008 Georgian presidential election, coming third with 7.1% of the votes. Patarkatsishvili suddenly died in February 2008 in the UK where he was living.
The Georgia Prosecutor's Office released two audio recordings in the case alleging the preparation of Patarkatsishvili's murder, which were made on February 4 and 5, 2007. According to the Prosecutor's Office, in the first audio recording, Constitutional Security Department senior official Giorgi Dgebuadze (Mastera) is talking with Badri Patarkatsishvili's security guard and is trying to bribe him. In particular, Dgebuadze tells the security guard that the case is agreed with Saakashvili. Dgebuadze asks questions about Patarkatsishvili's cooks and security system.
As for the second recording, it reflects a conversation between Dgebuadze, his employees and currently convicted L.K., R.Sh. and G.M., the topic of which is the preparation of Patarkatsishvili’s murder. They consider various methods of murder, including poisoning. According to the recording, all issues had been
10 GEORGIA Country Report November 2018 www.intellinews.com