Tbilisi, Georgia, March 24
By Nana Kirtzkhalia - Trend:
On March 23, Tbilisi City Court chose restraint measures against defendants in the case on the Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania's death.
The defendants - Levan Chachua and Mikheil Dzadzamia were sentenced to pre-trial detention.
Former head of the forensic medical examination department of Georgia's National Forensic Bureau Levan Chachua was detained by the Prosecutor General's Office on March 20 on charges of negligence in the work place.
Georgian Prosecutor General's Office said the investigation established that on February 3, 2005 Levan Chachua, was negligent in performing the forensic examination on the bodies of former Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, and politician Raul Yusupov.
"He gave inadequate information on the damages to the victims' bodies, while the wounds inflicted before their deaths were obvious. Since the investigation put the examination report's validity under question, it became necessary to conduct a new examination in order to establish the real causes and circumstances of Zhvania's and Yusupov's deaths," the prosecutor's office said. "The criminal proceedings against Levan Chachua are being conducted in accordance with the first part of article 342 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which includes imprisonment up to three years."
Shift supervisor of Zurab Zhvania's security, Mikheil Dzadzamia, also a defendant in this criminal case, was detained on charges of negligence.
Dzadzamia's negligence led to the death of the former prime minister, according to prosecutor's office.
"On February 3, 2005, at night, the shift supervisor of Zhvania's security Mikheil Dzadzamia did not properly fulfill his duties and left the PM without protection. During this period the former prime minister was found dead. At the same time, despite the mandatory requirements he did not inform the relevant department on planning and operational management of security measures on the movement of the PM," prosecutor's office said.
"Dzadzamia's prosecution was carried out in accordance with the second part of article 342 of Georgian Criminal Code, which includes imprisonment up to four years," according to a statement from the prosecutor's office.
Georgia's Former Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania died from carbon monoxide poisoning in February 2005, according to the official version of the former authorities.