Of course, Badri Patarkatsishvili was an authoritative and colorful figure in business circles. He was called the richest man in Georgia. His sphere of interests was quite diverse: he financed sports football and basketball clubs, acted as a sponsor of chess players, swimmers, wrestlers, created the media holding Art Imedi. Many reckoned with Badri, and his partner was Boris Abramovich Berezovsky himself, who for quite some time was considered a āgray cardinalā in the country's public administration system. The last days of his life he lived, like his odious "companion", in London. What was the path of Badri Patarkatsishvili in the career of a businessman? Let's consider this question in more detail.
Facts from the biography
Badri Patarkatsishvili, whose biography certainly deserves attention, was a native of the Georgian capital. He was born on October 31 in 1955 in a Jewish family. His parents were religious people and from childhood they taught their son to regularly go to the synagogue. However, at school, Badri's peers did not like because of his specific origin. They did not miss the opportunity to humiliate and oppress the "Georgian" Jew.
The situation was complicated by the fact that Badri Patarkatsishvili rather infantilely reacted to the attacks of classmates, trying not to show his "I".
Fateful meeting
The name of the future businessman was interpreted as āthe son of a little man,ā and Badri did everything possible so that as few people as possible knew about its meaning. The young man enters the local polytechnic, after which he begins to work at the worsted-cloth factory āalong the party lineā as an assistant secretary of the Komsomol committee. Over time, Badri Patarkatsishvili grew up to be the deputy director of the enterprise. He also owned the idea of āāreorganizing a production company into a joint-stock company.
In the early 90s of the last century, a āGeorgianā Jew headed the Caucasus Regional Branch of LogoVaz JSC, being one of the founders of this enterprise. It was on the territory of the plant that the fateful acquaintance of Badri and Boris Berezovsky took place.
The first steps towards cooperation
Patarkatsishvili was almost 10 years younger than his "strategic" partner.
At the time of their acquaintance, Badri was already the author of a scientific monograph on the pricing procedure in the "land of the Soviets." Berezovsky also had a doctorate in physico-mathematical sciences. He arrived at the automobile plant in order to improve production management methods and Badri provided Berezovsky with all possible assistance in this. It was on the sales of Zhiguli that Boris Abramovich and Patarkatsishvili made their first millions. However, they did not forget about the material interest of the head of the VAZ - Vladimir Kadannikov, that part of the profit was also transferred to that. This is how Badri Patarkatsishvili began his career as a businessman, whose fortune was estimated at $ 11 billion by the end of his life.
Controlled cash flow
In 1993, Badri went to the Russian capital to establish business ties, and a few months later he took the post of vice president of Russian Car Dealers.
In 1994, his candidacy was approved as the first deputy director of LogoVAZ.
After successful business at the car factory, the āGeorgianā Jew did not stop cooperating with Berezovsky. The scope of his business interests is gradually shifting towards Russian television.
Patarkatsishvili becomes Deputy Director General for Commerce, in fact fulfilling the role of treasurer at ORT. Also in this media structure he is appointed executive director and first deputy head of the executive body. A businessman becomes a famous person. Badri Patarkatsishvili, whose photo in the mid-90s often appeared in the business press, soon chairs the tender committee for the sale of a controlling stake in Sibneft. Thanks to Badri, most of the securities of this structure went to the oligarch Berezovsky. Then the companions began to show interest in the TV-6 channel, the direction of which was headed by Patarkatsishvili. After some time, he bought the printed publication Kommersant from Boris Abramovich. The sharks of the pen informed that the amount of the contract was about $ 100 million.
Fate breeds companions
However, sooner or later, the business cooperation of business partners should have come to an end.
And he came when Putin replaced Yeltsin. Berezovsky fled the country to England, and the āGeorgianā Jew left Russia and went to his homeland.
In the summer of 2001, Russian prosecutors charged the businessman. Its meaning was that Badri Shalvovich Patarkatsishvili helped the criminal Nikolai Glushkov, who held a high position at Aeroflot, to escape from arrest. Soon, the oligarch was put on the international wanted list.
The fall of next year, he was accused in absentia of having committed fraudulent fraud, as a result of which cars were stolen at AvtoVAZ.
"In the pool ..."
In dealing with Berezovsky, Badri tried to appear in public as little as possible. He led television channels, but never participated in talk shows or analytical programs.
Badri avoided communication with the press and did not interfere in state policy. Upon returning to his homeland, he would have been calmly engaged in entrepreneurship, but, in practice, it turned out that he had hatched "Napoleonic" plans.
Georgian business
At home, the businessman continued to engage in entrepreneurship. In 2002, he establishes the Imedi media structure. Patarkatsishvili acquired the capital's circus, began sponsoring sports clubs, invested in the restoration of ancient Mtskheta, and began construction of a new cathedral. In his homeland in 2003, he headed the Georgian Federation of Businessmen. Soon he will be recognized as the most successful entrepreneur of the year in Georgia. At the end of 2004, Badri became the head of the country's national committee, and in January next year - the head of the World Jewish Television.
Secret Leader
In Georgia, the businessman also developed an active public activity. He offered the city hall a loan of one million rubles to pay off debts to Russia for natural gas. However, this step turned out to be more of an ordinary PR.
In 2006, he began to oppose the existing regime of Mikheil Saakashvili. Companions of the president, in turn, called "the unspoken boss of the opposition forces." In the fall of next year, in front of the legislative building, opponents of the government organized a demonstration against the existing system, and Badri took part in it not the last. Law enforcement agencies had to intervene in the situation. Then the businessman publicly declared that he was ready to part with all his billions in order to overthrow the dictator Saakashvili. Soon, the Tbilisi prosecutor's office initiated criminal proceedings against Badri for attempting to overthrow the existing government. The entrepreneur was forced to emigrate from the country. He went to London. Abroad, he continued to lead his Imedi holding, selling a certain amount of News Corp. securities. Rupert Murdoch.
At the end of 2007, he decided to run for president of Georgia. However, a video was shown on local television that compromised Badri, and the victory in the election of the head of the Georgian state was illusory, but still he managed to take third place in the race for the presidency.
last years of life
The death of Badri Patarkatsishvili was a complete surprise to his associates.
He was only 53 years old. And the businessmanās inner circle also wondered why he had passed away so early: Badri Shalvovich rarely complained about health problems. Some of his associates accused the Georgian president of Patarkatsishviliās death.
One way or another, but in London a special commission was created, which was to determine why Badri Patarkatsishvili died. The cause of death as a result is established - a heart attack.
The businessman has two children from his first marriage: the daughters of Liana and Oia, and one child from the second (later recognized as invalid) - son David.