The Prisoner Stitched up His Mouth in Batumi Jail N 3

The Prisoner Stitched up His Mouth in Batumi Jail N 3

In the Batumi jail N3, the prisoner Giorgi Akhalaia stitched his mouth up. He is accused in committing robbery. Akhalaia firmly refuses this accusation and says that he is the victim of private revenge.

Akhalaia was arrested on February 17 by the law-enforcers. In the interview with HRIDC Paata Bolkvadze, Akhalaia’s lawyer declares: “He was notified by the police that on the other day he had to go to the police department office. But Giorgi Akhalaia followed them willingly, immediately he had been notified. (Giorgi was going abroad for getting job in several days). It is doubtful if a person is guilty to follow the police to the department willingly.”

According to the lawyer, there are plenty of gaps and misunderstandings: “There are four facts of burglaries committed in one day - on February 14. It is to be mentioned that the time space between two crimes is only 10 minutes; at the same time those super markets are situated quite far from each other. I want to say that this period of time is not sufficient to reach another store. The same can be said about the duration of time when the burglars tried to grab the things from the victims as they state in their testimony”.

After the arrest of  Giorgi Akhalaia, three victims - two shop assistants and a taxi driver, Tariel Davitadze made additions to the their evidences. “When testifying for the first time, Lali Makharadze, the shop assistant says that while she went for demanded cigarettes burglars stole the money and mobile phones and escaped. But in another testimony she adds that she was nervous and was not able to remember everything. Here she adds that she was asked for some lemonade and when they could not agree on the price the burglars threatened her by gun. The gun appears in the driver’s evidences as well. For the first time Davitadze announces that he was hit with some rude thing, but later, in his second evidence, he adds that this thing was a gun. Besides these, to their evidences they have changed the physical description of the perpetrators as well.

Paata Bolkvadze claims: “After Akhalaia’s detention, the investigator sends an appeal to the colleagues in various police departments, where a bit later it turned out that other Akhalaia was wanted by other police departments as well. There are a lot of facts of burglaries that still have to be disclosed. And now they say that some of them are committed by Akhalaia and it means that investigators have disclosed the case already”.

The Public Defender of Adjara met the prisoner. ”Akhalaia demanded to meet me. As he announces he is innocent and this is the reason for which he has stitched his mouth up. He states that he is the victim of private revenge of one of the Police Officials”- mentioned Giorgi Charkviani, the public Defender of Adjara.

The second suspect, Zaza Partenadze is detained as well. The nest trial must be held on June 26.

Maka Malakmadze from Batumi