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Former Attorney of Mejvriskhevi Village Was Sentenced to 6 Year-Imprisonment

October 20, 2015
 
Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

On October 15, at 11:00 am hearing of the case against former attorney of Mejvriskhevi village was scheduled at the Gori district court but Judge Shalva Kakauridze started the process one and half hour later. Former attorney Tariel Gurgenidze was sentenced to 6-year-imprisonment for accepting bribe. His supporters protested the verdict and Gurgenidze’s son-in-law was detained in the court room for causing disorder; later he was released under 300-lari administrative fine. As for Tariel Gurgenidze, he was arrested in the courtroom.

The former attorney was arrested on June 12, 2013 for accepting bribe. On September 26, 2013 he was released under bail. Gori district court processed his case during two years. Ruslan Mamedov was chief witness of the prosecutor’s office but law enforcement officers, who arrested him, made statements against Gurgenidze. According to the prosecutor’s office Tariel Gurgenidze had accepted bribe from Ruslan Mamedov in exchange of a notification though the convicted person denies it.

After October 15 trial, friends and neighbors of Tariel Gurgenidze claimed Ruslan Mamedov had provoked him and the judge shared the prosecutor’s version instead estimating truth.

“I supported this government but today I witnessed this illegality. How shall I trust this government? What have they done well? What have they improved? Just the opposite – they made everything worse. People are so desperate that nobody will vote for them. They arrested this honest person. I love my country but today I am ashamed that I am a Georgian,” a resident of Mejvriskhevi said.

“Today I witnessed unfair trial. All questions must be answered during the trial and you must trust the court. However, this process failed to convince me that Tariel Gurgenidze committed crime and that the verdict against him is fair,” friend of Tariel Gurgenidze Olia Bragvadze said.

Mamedov’s name is mentioned in several similar cases. Studio Monitor prepared a investigative film about this topic “Agent Provocateur” in Government’s Service. The film presents several cases where Mamedov offered bribes to public servants throughout Georgia.

An extract from the investigative film: “The list of arrested people with the support of Mamedov: Davit Sukhiashvili, Irakli Khirdaev, Gela Shiolashvili, Tariel Gurgenidze, Elguja Kiladze, Margalita Kulijanova, Giorgi Nozadze. Ruslan Mamedov participated in their cases as a cattle dealer and according to the investigation he paid 300 or 400 GEL to village attorneys as bribes. He is mentioned as an ordinary citizen in all cases. If we assume that Mamedov is confident so called “spy” of the law enforcement officers, the lawyers state it is illegal action.”

The friends and family members of Gurgenidze will appeal the verdict at the Appeal Court however they think the case might reach even the Supreme Court of Georgia.  

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