Friday, February 15, 2008

LONDON, Feb. 14 -- A Georgian billionaire found dead in his home this week probably died of natural causes, though extensive toxicology testing is still underway, British authorities said Thursday.

Badri Patarkatsishvili, 52, died late Tuesday at his mansion in Surrey, a county on the outskirts of London. The Georgian tycoon, who financed opposition causes in his home country, had expressed fear of assassination, and police had said they were investigating the death as "suspicious."

On Thursday, however, Surrey police said that after the initial postmortem examination, there was "no indication that the sudden death of Badri Patarkatsishvili was from anything other than natural causes."

-- Karla Adam