Russian tycoon confirms his secret trip to Georgia

In an interview on Echo of Moscow radio businessman Boris Berezovsky said that the UK government had given him false ID for his trip to Georgia to protect him from prosecution by Russian authorities. He confirmed that last night he had traveled to Tbilisi (Georgia) as Platon Elenin. "I have been granted political shelter and there are countries that recognize it. Georgia is among them," Berezovsky said noting that he had not risked anything when visiting Georgia.

According to Shalva Londaridze, the head of the press service of the Georgian border department, Berezovsky left Tbilisi for London this morning on board a plane that belongs to businessman Badri Patakartsishvili. "Neither Platon nor Berezovsky are wanted in Georgia, so his staying in Georgia was legal," Londaridze declared in an interview on Rustavi-2 television.