Wealthy Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, accused of a coup plot against the country's president, has died suddenly in Britain, British police said on Wednesday. Officers are treating the death as suspicious and have referred the case to a major crime investigation team. A post mortem will be held later on Wednesday.
Georgian public television said the flamboyant 52-year-old had died of a heart attack at his residence near London. An ambulance was called to the leafy, secluded mansion late on Tuesday evening after Patarkatsishvili fell ill while entertaining a large number of friends and family, police said. Patarkatsishvili's allies in Tbilisi called for international experts to launch an inquiry.
Patarkatsishvili, a prominent figure in his native Georgia, had been living in Britain since last year after Georgian authorities accused him of plotting a coup against the president and issued a warrant for his arrest.