Zurab Noghaideli Requests Freedom for Zviad Kharebava

Former prime-minister of Georgia Zurab Noghaideli requests freedom for his former advisor Zviad Khareba who is in prison now.

Leader of the political party “Just Georgia” said that Zviad Kharebava is a political prisoner and he serves 17-year-long imprisonment for no crime.

“It is another astonishing fact against me in order to make me quit political activities. Kharebava is in prison only because he refused to make wrong testimonies against me,” said Noghaideli.

The former prime-minister promised to do his best to protect the rights of Zviad Kharebava.

“I will petition to the international organizations and embassies. I will do my best to assist him. I might take various measures to help him; if it is necessary we will hold demonstrations too… It is very difficult to agree with the idea that a person is imprisoned for 17 years for fabricated charge while murderers are released in 7-8 years,” he said.

Noghaideli clarified that he has had information about this fact for a long time but he refrained from making loud statements about it before Zviad Kharebava decided to make the fact public.

“When they detained him, I offered my assistance to his family but they hoped they could find justice in Georgian judiciary but it turned up impossible,” said the former primer.

Zurab Kharebava was detained on December 11, 2009 for swindler and unreasonable expenditure of funds and was sentenced to 17-year-imprisonment. The convicted does not plead guilty and states that his detention is political persecution and revenge. Kharebava said that deputy head of the investigation department at the Chief Prosecutor’s Office Zaza Kachibaia and investigator Manuchar Kajaia requested him to testimony against Zurab Noghaideli.

Zviad Kharebava worked in the ministries of finances and economic development before occupying the position of the prime-minister’s advisor. He moved to private business in 2007 and occupied leading positions in the companies “Green Rights Georgia,” “Kala Capital” and “SakHidroEnergoMsheni.”

Interpresnews published a journalistic survey on Kharebava’s case last week see the link.

Interpresnews