Businessman Recalls How CSD Senior Officials Extorted Money from Him

Mikheil Mamalashvili, Kakheti

In his interview to Human Rights Center, businessman Sandro Megutnishvili, who owns a wine and meat factories in Kakheti region, recalled how he was oppressed by former head of Kakheti regional unit of the Constitutional Security Department of MIA Zurab Laliashvili and his deputy Davit Lortkipanidze in 2010.

Sandro Megutnishvili recalled how inhumanly he and his employees were treated at Telavi district police office and then in Gldani prison # 8. He started the story from the beginning when he first became the victim of violence by CSD officers.

“A CSD officer Zaza Uzunashvili asked me to come to the CSD office at 12:00 pm to meet Dato Lortkipanidze. There I was asked to give 10 000 rubles to Radio Abkhazia – he told me rubles – neither lari nor USD. I had to pay the money in cash. If somebody dared not to pay the money, Lortkipanidze was abusing and intimidating them. I told him the factory owner was not in Georgia and I could not collect the required money; though I could pay 2 000 lari to him. As for the rest of required money, we had to wait for the factory owner to arrive in the country. An hour later Uzunashvili called me and asked what I was going to do. I said I could bring only 2 000 lari and he agreed; I took 1 000 USD (according to that time exchange rate it was equal to 2 000 lari) and went there. Seeing the money they started complaining and said I was making fun of them. Anyway they told me to leave and the rest would be settled later.

Two weeks later, it was August 25, a factory watchman told me Zura Grdzelishvili was asking about me. I knew Grdzelishvili and told the watchman to lead him into my office. He entered and stopped several meters away from me. I was sitting at table. He was speaking in a strange voice, like a person who has to implement some duty. He told me: “come here; I have an affair with you.” I asked him to take a seat and if he could not speak in the presence of other people, we could speak alone too. I had problems with leg and could not walk. Suddenly he asked – are you going to accept grapes this year? He did not say he represented the CSD at that moment. I said it was too early to discuss this issue but when it is time, we were going to receive grapes. He asked the price of the grape and I said we would pay the same price as others would. He went away but suddenly turned back and started cursing me. I could not understand what had happened, why he was abusing me. My cousin Lekso Megutnishvili was also in the room and they started “struggling.” Grdzelishvili said he had arrived there in the name of CSD and we would see what would happen soon. I immediately understood that it was second part of the story about Radio station. I told Lekso to stop arguing with him because he was sent to provoke us. Grdzelishvili crossed the factory yard, got into his car and went. Later, when I was arrested, he wrote in his testimony that we – four men were beating him during ten minutes and then he ran away; he ran 300 meters of the factory yard, the watchman locked the gate but he broke through it and got into his car; at that time we attacked him again and broke his car. It is nonsense. I did not even leave my working room. As soon as he left, I called my brother and said what had happened. He confirmed that Grdzelishvili worked at the CSD.

In the same evening, Uzunashvili called me and said to go to the factory to meet him there; I warned the watchman that Uzunashvili was going to arrive at the factory by car and to let him in. When the door opened, seven cars drove into the yard – CSD and Telavi police officers were sitting in them as if they were going to arrest a terrorist. They made me sit in the car and took me to Telavi district police office. Then I was asked to call my colleagues Valeri Zarnadze, Lekso Megutnishvili and Giorgi Abashidze to the police station. When investigator was questioning me, Laliashvili and that time head of Kakheti regional police unit Kokiashvili rushed into the room and started beating me with gun. I was asking them to clarify to me what I had done wrong. They said 2 000 tons of grapes could not save me because I had paid only 1000 USD to them. Laliashvili was pointing gun at me and threatened with death. My three colleagues were also beaten – my cousin Lekso Megutnishvili was beaten particularly ruthlessly. Two police officers, I can name them, were  beating him with plastic bottles full of water. When they got tired, others replaced them to beat my cousin. They were beating them to get their testimonies. They had to write that I had broken Uzunashvili’s car though nobody listened to us. They wrote whatever they wanted. None of us read what was written in the testimonies and were compelled to sign it.

Next day I and Lekso Megutnishvili were sentenced to two-month pretrial detention and placed in Gldani prison # 8. After two-week isolation I was taken to the cell. The door opened on the third day and five head-shaved men in black entered my cell. They asked what I had shouted from the cell? I had placed in the cell on the previous day and nobody knew me there; so what I could shout there. Simply they wanted to find reason of argument. They took me downstairs and demanded to write that I was making noise in the cell; I was warned three times but I did not obey their demands; if I had written it, they would have placed me in the isolation cell for five days but if I had not written – I would have sat in the isolation cell for ten days. I refused to sign anything. They started beating me. They beat me so ruthlessly that I fainted. Moreover, I felt very week after having spent several days in the isolation cell. I had not eaten anything for two weeks. 26 men were placed in 18 sq. meter space; it was impossible to clean the toilet. We used to sleep on our sleepers. When I was placed in the cell, they used to take and beat me several times per week – they beat me either in the bathroom or other place. I lost 25 kilos. Finally I was so weak that could not climb stairs without help.

In parallel to it, my brother was frequently summoned to the CSD office and warned to purchase eight vehicles Toyota Prado for them if he wanted me to leave prison alive. The total price of eight vehicles was 350 000 USD. I could not afford to pay such a huge sum so could not satisfy their request.

Davit Lortkipanidze visited me in prison several times. He first visited me at about 11:30 pm; I was taken to the working room of Aleko Mukhadze, head of prison where Lortkipanidze entered five minutes later. He said I had to purchase eight Toyota Prados if I wanted to leave prison alive. I was shocked because I could not collect the sum. They ruthlessly beat me then, they were cursing and splitting me in the face. Lortkipanidze visited me next day too and asked what I had decided. I repeated that I could not purchase eight cars for them; I could afford to pay only 50 000 lari but he said I could not leave prison for that sum. During his third visit Lortkipanidze said I could leave prison for that money and would continue negotiation about the rest outside the prison. Next day we really signed plea-agreement, I paid 30 000 lari – half of it was for my freedom and another half for my cousin and I left prison. Lortkipanidze called me several days later. I went to Laliashvili’s office and they started laughing at me saying they had sent me to the hell and unless I paid the money, they would do even worse. We finally agreed on 80 000 USD after three-hour negotiation.

On March 2, Lortipanidze called me and said we were going to Tbilisi next day and I had to have 60 000 USD with me. We arrived at Mate Motors office in Digomi, Tbilisi where we saw Laliashvili and two more people. We went to TBC Bank office in Goodwill Supermarket where I transferred 58 000 USD to certain Davit Mtatsmindeli’s name. On the same day, a new Toyota Land Cruiser 200 was delivered to Lortkipanidze.

On March 14, Lortkipanidze called me again and said we were going to Tbilisi next day and I had to take 40 000 USD with me. His colleague picked me up next morning. Lortkipanidze was waiting for me in Tbilisi. Two cars – Toyota Camry - were prepared for us. I paid 19 000 USD for one and 19 300 USD for the second. Later Davit Lortkipanidze was driving one of those cars.

One month after parliamentary elections of October 1, 2012 I sent message to Lortkipanidze and his allies and requested to reimburse all the damage I had endured because of him and to return the money they had seized from me. They asked me three-four days but nobody replied to me. Then I appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office in November of 2012.”

Two weeks later, law enforcement officers arrested Davit Lortkipanidze for the abuse of his authority. As for Zura Laliashvili, he has fled from the country and is hiding. Prosecutor’s office charged Lortkipanidze and Laliashvili under Article 33 Part III – b of the Criminal Code of Georgia that is abuse of authority and is punishable by imprisonment from 5 to 8 years.

Davit Lortkipanidze pleads guilty but claims he was executing the orders of Zurab Laliashvili. Aleksandre Megutnishvili thinks, the defense side tries to blame Zura Laliashvili in everything to mitigate Lortkipanidze’s charge. The victim businessman claims Davit Lortkipanidze was asking his brother Gia Lortkipanidze, former deputy minister of internal affairs, to call prison director Aleko Mukhadze to let Davit Lortkipanidze into prison to meet Megutnishvili. Mukhadze personally told the businessman about it but now he is also hiding from law enforcement bodies.

On February 25, 2013 Judge Labaza Duishvili released Davit Lortkipanidze from the courtroom under the bail of 10 000 lari. Sandro Megutnishvili thinks it was unfair decision and claims that Duishvili is a friend of the Lortkipanidzes; he businessman even tried to decline the judge from the case but could not due to lack of evidence.

Next trial on Davit Lortkipanidze’s case is scheduled on March 27, at 12:00 pm.