In a ballot paper he will be Arkadi Patarkatsishvili, but he is more known as Badri. 

Patarkatsishvili retracted his earlier pledge, made on December 27, to withdraw from the presidential race and said on January 3 that he would “continue to fight on to be elected president.”

Patarkatsishvili, 52, who amassed wealth in Russia in 90s, first came into public attention in Georgia in 2001 when then President Shevardnadze refused to extradite him to Russia after Moscow charged Patarkatsishvili of organizing a jailbreak attempt for former first vice-president of "Aeroflot" national airlines.

Patarkatsishvili started to gain a foothold in Georgia since then by buying shares of independent media sources, investing in real estate, and establishing a charity organization. He also became the President of Georgian Olympic Committee and head of Federation of Georgian Businessmen (after the November events he was forced to quit positions). In 2002 Patarkatsishvili bought a state-owned Wedding Palace, a secular cathedral for marriage ceremonies, and turned this huge building overlooking Tbilisi into his house. His campaign office is now located there.

Although he has never been openly engaged in the politics, local media was time after time reporting about Patarkatsishvili’s hidden hand trying to influence on politics. The first such report emerged in November, 2001, when Patarkatsishvili allegedly tried to endorse his favorable candidate, Vazha Lortkipanidze, as parliamentary chairman.

Patarkatsishvili, who was wanted in Russia, security guarantees were of major importance, so tried to maintain good relations with all the political forces. In 2003 Patarkatsishvili indicated that he wanted to finance a party, led by Zurab Zhvania and parliamentary chairperson Nino Burjanadze, as well as the New Rights Party; shortly before the November, 2003 parliamentary elections he, however, said was planning to finance then ruling party. Rumors were widespread that he was financing both the then opposition and the authorities.

Initially he also maintained good terms with the Saakashvili’s administration, after it came into power as a result of the Rose Revolution, and especially with then Prime Minister, Zurab Zhvania.

First crack, whoever, emerged in April 2005, few months after PM Zhvania’s death. At that time he criticized the authorities for abolishing Tax Arbitration Councils, which were viewed by the business community as the important independent body to resolve tax disputes with the state.

Major conflict came a year later. In March, 2006, Patarkatsishvili publicly accused the authorities of mounting pressure on his television station Imedi TV and of extorting money from businesses. The move was largely perceived by many commentators at that time as a signal of anticipated major changes in Georgia’s political landscape. A year later Patarkatsishvili publicly announced that he was ready to finance the opposition’s anti-governmental protest rallies and also indicated about possibility of going into politics.

After the November 7 events, the Georgian General Prosecutor’s Office said that Patarkatsishvili was suspected of conspiring to overthrow the government. He currently spends most of his time between London and Israel and refuses to arrive in Tbilisi. He has been insisting for additional security guarantees from the authorities, but the latter refuses to provide any citing that Patarkatsishvili, as a presidential candidate, already enjoys with immunity.

Patarkatsishvili announced on December 27 that he would withdraw from the presidentail race. The announcement came after the Georgian authorities released compromising video and audio tapes implicating Patarkatsishvili and his allies in an alleged coup plot. The audio tapes purport to show Patarkatsishvili offering USD 100 million to a top Interior Ministry official, Irakli Kodua, in exchange for - among other things - “neutralizing” Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.