Tbilisi, 25 June / Trend N.Kirtzkhalia /
The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has brought additional accusations against the former Prime Minister of Georgia and Secretary General of the Georgian president's United National Movement Party, Vano Merabishvili.
As announced on Monday at a briefing at the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, additional charges were brought against Merabishvili in connection with the falsification of the progress of investigation and preventing the ascertainment of the truth in the case of the murder of banker Sandro Girgvliani.
On Monday Merabishvili who is being held in prison, was briefed on the new charges.
Merabishvili is already accused in the cases of bribery of voters, embezzlement or misappropriation of funds through the abuse of official position, abuse of power and abuse of authority during dispersing an opposition rally in 2011.
It should be noted that on January 28, 2006, Sandro Girgvliani with his friend Levan Bukhaidze visited the Cafe Chardin-bar in the centre of Tbilisi. The head of the department of Constitutional Security of the Interior Ministry Data Akhalaia, his deputy Oleg Melnikov, Head of the General Inspection of Interior Ministry Vasily Sanodze, Head of Public relations department of Interior Ministry Guram Donadze, wife of the Interior Minister Tako Salakaia and Sandro Girgvliani's acquaintance Tamar Maisuradze. Girgvliani had an argument with Guram Donadze. On the same day the body of the murdered Girgvliani was found in the Okrokana settlement showing signs of a violent death.
The court delivered its verdict on this case against four former senior officers of the department of Constitutional Security of Georgian Interior Ministry. They were later released under an amnesty.
According to new accusation, Merabishvili will be responsible for the abuse of power for personal purposes for concealing involvement in the murder of his wife Tako Salakaia. Girgvliani quarrelled with her and the senior officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Data Akhalaia and Vasily Sanodze at the cafe, after which Girgvliani was beaten.
The Prosecutor's Office said that besides four police officers who were convicted of homicide by misadventure, Girgvliani was also beaten by two other high-ranking officials of the Interior Ministry.
The investigation continues and as the prosecutor's office stated, a number of officials who provided favourable incarceration and frequent absences of prisoners from prisons, will be brought to face criminal responsibility in this criminal case.