Former Georgian Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze dies

Kakha Bendukidze, an influential Georgian businessman who was once the country’s Economy Minister, adviser to Ukraine’s current President and founder of Georgia’s Free University, has died.

He is believed to have passed away in London yesterday at age 58, only two weeks after undergoing major heart surgery in Switzerland.

After the surgery, Bendukidze travelled to London where he passed away in a hotel room. While the cause of death has not been confirmed, it is believed he died from heart failure.

Education was a large part of his life and in his time, the Georgian businessman was the chairman of the Supervisory Board of two Georgian universities – the Free University and the Georgian Agrarian University.

Last night Professors and students gathered to pay tribute to Bendukidze and lit candles in his memory. People at the gathering said Bendukidze made "a great contribution” to their education process.

Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili expressed his condolences to Bendukidze’s family and friends today.

"Bendukidze was a very exordinary man and his merit will be even better evaluated in the future,” said Usupashvili at today’s plenary session, which opened with a minute of silence.

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili also mentioned Bendukidze when he visited Parliament today.

"I wold like to express my condolences to the family of Mr. Kakha and to his colleagues who have lost a friend," he said. 

Meanwhile Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed his sadness over the death of his adviser.

"I express my sincere condolences to the family of Kakha Bendukidze, and millions of those for whom he was and will remain the engine of a big change. R. I. P.,” he wrote on twitter.