This site is dedicated
to the loving memory of Badri by all those
committed to getting to the truth of why this great man is dead at 52. If
you have any information, please send us an email at
gudavadze@list.ru.
All information will be held in
strict confidence.
Gudavadze, Berezovsky,
Implicated in Death of Badri Patarkatsishvili, Lawsuit Alleges
Georgian Business Week
Monday, February 15, 2010
A lawsuit against Inna Gudavadze, widow of
late Russian "oligarch" Badri Patarkatsishvili, and Boris Berezovsky,
former partner of Patarkatsishvili was filed today in New York State
Supreme Court. The complaint alleges that “significant
evidence shows that the decedent’s death was caused by intentional
unlawful acts of defendant Inna Gudavadze, Badri’s widow, in
conspiracy with defendant Boris Berezovsky, a notorious Russian
“oligarch” wanted by Interpol on international arrest warrants.”
Complaint also alleges that “defendants have devised and
carried out a nefarious plan of intentionally or grossly negligently
causing the death of Mr. Patarkatsishvili, a billionaire investor
and philanthropist, in order to usurp control over his vast assets."
Gudavadze’s motive for murdering
Patarkatsishvili, in addition to money, was jealousy of
Patarkatsishvili’s relationship with his second wife Olga Safonova,
with whom the decedent had son David, according to the complaint.
Berezovsky was also motivated by Patarkatsishvili's decision to divest
himself of popular TV station Imedi, which “Berezovsky used to
propagate his anti-government agenda in Georgia” complaint alleges.
One of the evidentiary exhibits filed with the
court is an agreement between Gudavadze and Berezovsky, splitting
Patarkatsishvili’s assets 50/50. The agreement was signed by Gudavadze
and Berezovsky on February 25, 2008, two days before Patarkatsishvili
was buried in Tbilisi. Complaint alleges that the 50/50 agreement may
have been drafted before Patarkatsishvili’s death.
WHO IS THIS WOMAN?
Only two years ago, no one had ever heard of Inna
Gudavadze. But on February 12, 2008, she became an instant international
celebrity (of sorts.) That was the day, when Badri Patarkatsishvili, a
renowned billionaire-investor and philanthropist passed on.
March 11, 2010 London
It was then when Gudavadze first
came to limelight as Badri's wife at the time of his death. But was she?
Since Badri's death, Gudavadze
has been entangled in a bitter battle over Badri's multibillion-dollar
estate. She hired some of the most expensive lawyers in Europe and top
public relations firms in the UK and US, in order to invent, sculpture and
sell to the press and public her newly found image. Guided by prodigiously
paid and politically connected PR gurus, Gudavadze's image makeover campaign
successfully touted her to the members of the press as disconsolate widow.
Is she?
It all depends on who one
listens to. Gudavadze's lavishly paid supporters promote Inna as a beautiful
human being, kind and generous, virtuous and vulnerable, loving wife and
grieving widow. But despite Gudavadze's high-priced image crafters,
questions persist, and there are many who describe Gudavadze as a
gold-digging concubine, ruthless foe to anyone, who dares to question her
claim to Badri's billions.
And then there are those who
openly accuse Gudavadze of murdering Badri in order to seize control of his
fortune.
This site is created by those
who truly loved Badri, and who owe it to him to get to the truth of why this
great man had met his death at the age of 52.
Just married...
May 16, 1997
St. Petersburg Wedding Palace Badri and Olga Patarkatsishvili with
their son David after the wedding vows
Great mind...
Great heart...
Great man...
Dead at 52...
This site is not affiliated with
or managed, edited or controlled by Inna Gudavadze or any member of
the Gudavadze family. Material appearing on this site has not been
approved by Inna Gudavadze or anyone in her employ. Any copyrighted
material appearing on this site is reprinted for non-commercial
research and educational purposes only.
The business
partner of the exiled Russian tycoon left no Inheritance will. It’s
an epic squabble
Mark Franchetti in Moscow
THE exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky is
fighting the widow of his closest friend for half the dead man’s
£6 billion fortune.
Relations between Berezovsky and Ina Gudavadze,
whose husband Badri Patarkatsishvili was his business partner for
20 years, have broken down 12 months after the Georgian
billionaire died, aged 52, at Downside Manor, his mansion in
Surrey. He had told friends he feared the authorities in Tbilisi
were plotting to kill him.
All contact between the two sides is now
through lawyers as they battle over property left by the man
Berezovsky described last week as the person “closest to me in the
whole world”.
The tycoon has asked a London court to appoint
an independent executor to establish how his friend’s fortune
should be divided up. The case follows wrangling between Gudavadze,
Berezovsky and other potential beneficiaries in what has become an
increasingly bitter dispute.
Berezovsky claims he is entitled to half
Patarkatsishvili’s assets. Gudavadze believes the two friends had
split their business interests long before her husband died.
“This is very sad indeed. Berezovsky and Ina
have not spoken for months. They’ve fallen out big time. They used
to be closer than family,” said a source close to both parties.
Patarkatsishvili, a secretive figure who rarely
gave interviews, died unexpectedly last February after he had
announced he would stand for the Georgian presidency. At the time
there were suggestions that he may have been poisoned but Surrey
police concluded that he had died of a heart attack.
The day after his death, Berezovsky asked
Gudavadze to sign a statement acknowledging that half her
husband’s assets belonged to him. The widow, who is represented by
Lord Goldsmith, the former attorney-general, signed but has since
changed her mind and sought to have the document annulled.
“Long before Badri died he and Berezovsky
announced they were dividing their business interests. They were
still friends but were divorcing as partners,” said an adviser to
Gudavadze. “All she is asking for is some proof. She’s happy to
share any assets once proof has been provided.” Last week
Berezovsky hit back. “Sadly, Ina is under the influence of people
who are trying to cash in,” he said. “Badri would be very saddened
by this but it’s not my fault. I’m taking legal action to protect
my interests and get what’s mine.”
Berezovsky, 63, and the mustachioed
Patarkatsishvili met in the dying days of the Soviet Union. The
two friends started by importing cars and built up a business
empire with interests in oil, aluminium, car-making and the media.
Known to insiders simply as “Badri and Borya”,
they became two of Russia’s most powerful figures. “Badri was the
muscle,” recalled a friend. “Borya would have an idea and Badri
would put it into practice. They were a brilliant combination.”
They holidayed together on their yachts in the
south of France and the Caribbean. In Moscow, ringed with
bodyguards, they could be found at Berezovsky’s private offices in
a tsarist mansion known as “the club” where politicians queued for
an audience.
Patarkatsishvili and Berezovsky fled Russia in
2001 after falling out with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s former
president and its current prime minister. At first Berezovsky had
backed Putin but he later became a fierce critic, which encouraged
prosecutors to charge the pair the executor of his estate andwith
fraud and embezzlement.
Last week Berezovsky denied that he and
Patarkatsishvili had ever divided their assets. “Once outside
Russia we made an announcement that we were divorcing because I
was actively involved in politics and my clash with the Kremlin
was seriously damaging our interests,” he said.
“It was a ruse, a public gesture meant for the
Kremlin so it would back off. No real steps were ever taken to
split our business. That’s easy to prove.”
After fleeing Russia, Patarkatsishvili divided
his time between Surrey and his native Georgia. In Tbilisi, the
capital, he bought the city’s biggest building, the Soviet Wedding
Palace, and turned it into a lavish headquarters. Inside, black
and white swans swam on an ornamental lake and the building
featured a 50ft aquarium, a planetarium and a replica of the
billionaire’s birthplace.
To complicate matters further, Joseph Kay, a
step-cousin of Patarkatsishvili, claims to be the executor of his
estate and insists that part of the fortune belongs to him.
Gudavadze and Berezovsky have accused Kay of fraud and say the
documents he has produced are forgeries. Kay denies any
wrongdoing.
Patarkatsishvili, who rarely documented his
deals, does not appear to have left a will. Teams of lawyers have
spent the last year tracking down assets and bank accounts across
the world. Both friends and relatives of the tycoon are suspicious
of Kay’s claims.
A Russian woman named Olga Safonova has also
claimed that she married Patarkatsishvili in 1997 and bore him a
son.
Gudavadze, who has two daughters by him, only
heard about Safonova after his death and has had that marriage
annulled by a Russian court. Sources close to Gudavadze said she
would provide for the son.
Other friends say that Berezovsky, who recently
sold his yacht, has been short of funds since Patarkatsishvili’s
death. The tycoon denies the claim.
Copyright 2010 Times Newspapers Ltd.
The day after ...
See
documents
filed in Supreme Court on official court site:
"We won't spare energy and
resources that our family owns and take back every last cent!"
The news of the wrongful death
lawsuit against Gudavadze first appeared in the media because of the
press-releases, which the Gudavadze family itself distributed to newspapers,
magazines and TV networks.
In response to the charges of
her complicity in Badri's murder, Inna Gudavadze accused Joseph Kay, the
Executor of Badri's last will, of "stealing her money and assets" and
threatened that she will use all of the "family resources" to get this money
back.
Gudavadze family spokesman
claimed Mr. Kay, who started the wrongful death action on behalf of Badri's
estate, did so in retaliation for losing a case in Gibraltar.
Ms. Gudavadze denies the
allegations of murdering Badri and says that the lawsuit contains "absurd
charges."
Ms. Gudavadze said she intends
to use New York Supreme Court to invalidate the decisions of Georgian
courts, which determined Badri's testamentary documents to be valid and
authentic in every respect and appointed Mr. Kay the Executor of Badri's
last will.
COMMENTS IN
RESPONSE TO THE
GUDAVADZE FAMILY'S STATEMENT
"If
Gudavadze truly believes she is innocent, let's skip all legal
maneuvers and delays and jointly ask the court to schedule the trial
as soon as possible, and let the justice prevail."
February 16, 2010
We regret that Ms. Gudavadze has decided to make a
public spectacle of this very private and very painful to us matter. We have
been receiving a flood of calls from reporters and we have no choice but to
make this one statement in response.
G-News: Gudavadze family
claims that Joseph Kay started this case in retaliation because he lost a
case for Badri's assets in Gibraltar, can you comment on that?
The case for wrongful death was commenced by
multiple plaintiffs, including three US corporations, one of them being an
official representative of the decedent. And it has absolutely nothing to do
with any assets, unfortunately the only thing Ms. Gudavadze seems to care
about. The lawsuit seeks to recover for damages suffered by the plaintiffs
as a result of Badri's wrongful death, which plaintiffs believe was caused
by Ms. Gudavadze and Mr. Berezovsky.
G-News: Howcome
Gibraltar courts have jurisdiction over a Russian national Inna Gudavadze
and US citizen Joseph Kay?
They don't. US Courts would never take a case where
the only parties are non-US residents. But it is not unusual for small
countries to take upon themselves to adjudicate extra-jurisdictional
disputes.
G-News:
Gibraltar indeed has
28,000 population, does taking foreign matters make it feel bigger?
We respect all countries, large and small. But
Gibraltar has absolutely no power over any assets or any matters outside of
Gibraltar. So, whoever "wins" there this would seem to be meaningless.
G-News: Can the decision
of the Gibraltar court be recognized in other countries, US for example?
We doubt it very much. Gibraltar is well known as a
country which main industry is creating sham trusts and secreting origin of
monies - - making Gibraltar vulnerable to money laundering. Prominent
Spanish judge described Gibraltar as a "gigantic money laundering" centre.
So, we truly have difficulty believing that US courts will take the
Gibraltar decisions seriously.
G-News: What motive did
Ms. Gudavadze have to murder her husband?
Firstly, we do not think that it is proper to refer
to Badri as Gudavadze's "husband". On March 12, 1994 Badri and Gudavadze
entered into a written separation agreement. The agreement says, "Due to Mr.
Arkadiy Patarkacishishvili’s frequent duty trips related to his professional
activities and long stays in Tbilisi, the common family life fell apart."
That was 16 years ago. (See:
Badri-Gudavadze separation agreement).
As to the motives, Ms. Gudavadze had two of the
oldest motives known to mankind: money and woman’s jealousy.
Starting with money: on February 25, 2008, 13 days after Badri's death and
two days before his body was buried, Gudavadze and Berezovsky signed and
notarized an agreement, dividing Badri's inheritance 50/50. How many people
whose family member died, would start writing and signing and agreements
dividing his assets before he is even buried? We must not forget that both
Gudavadze and Berezovsky have some of the biggest and most expensive law
firms in Europe. This multi-billion dollar 50/50 agreement could not be
written in one day. Did Gudavadze, Berezovsky and their lawyers work on this
agreement from the day Badri died? Not grieving, not taking care of the
funeral arrangements but drafting that 50/50 agreement?(See:
the Berezovsky-Gudavadze 50/50 agreement)
G-News: The lawsuit
alleges that this 50/50 agreement could be drafted before Badri died. That's
a horrible thought. Is there any evidence to support this?
Yes there is. We cannot discuss it at this time but
it will be presented in court in due course.
G-News: And jealousy?
Since his separation from Gudavadze, Badri had been living with
another woman, Olga Safonova with whom he had already had a son David. On
May 16, 1997, Badri married Safonova. Interestingly, unlike Gudavadze,
Safonova assumed Badri's name, Patarkatsishvili. (See
Material related to Badri-Safonova marriage) How would you feel
if your husband married another woman and have a child with her?
G-News: The lawsuit
also alleges that it may have to do with Ms. Gudavadze's immigration status
in the UK?
Yes. It is alleged that Gudavadze obtained her
residency in England by fraud because she failed to inform British
immigration authorities about the 1994 separation agreement. Badri obtained
his residency as a substantial investor in England and his marriage to
Safonova jeopardized Gudavadze’s immigration status. In addition, in 2002,
Greek Police investigated Gudavadze and her two daughters, Iya and Liana and
determined that their "Greek passports" and residency permits "had been
forged."
(See Gudavadze's "Greek
passports" and decision of Greek authorities.)
Hence, Gudavadze was completely dependent on Badri’s good will not to be
banned from the UK and all countries in the Shengen Zone. But with
Badri’s death, Gudavadze could keep her status as his widow.
G-News: Gudavadze
family says they are confident that the New York Supreme Court will
exonerate her and that she will use her family's vast resources to fight.
Your comments.
We know that Ms. Gudavadze now is a very wealthy
woman. In Gibraltar, for example she spent millions of British Pounds
just on legal fees. But in the United States, courts do not make decisions
based on the size of a party's wallet.
And if she truly believes she is innocent, we'll
make her this offer: let us all skip legal technicalities and jointly ask
the judge to schedule jury trial at the Court's earliest convenience and let
the justice prevail. If she is so confident, she will accept this
challenge. But if she has what lawyers call mens rea, Latin for "guilty
mind", then she will use all her financial means to delay the trial as long
as she can.
INNA'S COMMENTS ON BADRI'S
DEATH
(from the interview with Sarke Magazine)
Sarke: Prior to [his death]
he truly had no health problems?
Gudavadze: Last fall Badri went to Israel and
had a comprehensive medical check-up. When he came back to London, he
smilingly reported to me that if he quits smoking, he'll live to be 120,
if he does not - "only" 100. That's what doctors told him.
Sarke: There have been talks in society about
poisoning.
Gudavadze: Don't want to
speculate on this topic. We've been presented with the autopsy
conclusions, with which we generally agree, but I nonetheless leave one
per cent possibility that this could happen.
INNA SPEAKS OUT
INNA'S EXPLANATION OF THE 50/50 AGREEMENT
(from the court records)
"The reason why I signed this document on the day of departure
we were taking Badri to Georgia that day, I was in a hurry to
leave for Georgia ... ... and in fact what I was signing in my
mind was that by signing this paper I would get rid of Boris
Berezovsky... ... I thought I was signing total separation from
this man, whom I understand that he was partly guilty in Badri's
death because he involved, he pushed Badri into politics, and
that's the only thing that I agree with Joseph Kay, that Boris
is responsible for what happened to Badri ... ...I was under
very big stress after my husband died, so -- I am sorry."
