Former High-Ranking Official at the Police Department Blames Temur Anjafaridze for Drug Dealing

Gocha Nazgaidze, former chief of the regional Criminal Police Department, was detained for murders and stealing in the Gurjaani District three years ago. Now, Nazgaidze started to speak up about the reasons for his detention. Last week, he contradicted Temur Anjafaridze, the head of the Interior Ministry’s Kakheti Regional Department, who was questioned as a witness. Nazghaidze does not find himself guilty and blames Anjafaridze for drug dealing and abuse.

Initially the police detained Nazgaidze on June 13, 2005 for abusing his power. Nazghaidze had worked on various positions prior to detention. On December 19, 2005 he was charged for committing grave crimes together with his gang members, Gocha Varazashvili, Koba Abazashvili and Zurab Getiashvili. On December 3, 2003 they killed husband and wife Omar and Venera Nibladzes in their house in the town of Gurjaani; on January 5, 2004 they killed mother and daughter Nino and Darina Papunashvilis in the village of Gurjaani; on April 19, 2005 they organized and premeditatedly killed Guri Shevdrnadze.

Oliko Sefiashvili, the judge at Kvareli District Court has been discussing the criminal case on Nazgaidze for a year already. During this time the lawyer for the accused, Davit Nishnianidze, stated that the investigation did not have valid evidences against his client. However, the accusers categorically denied the fact.

State accuser and Deputy Prosecutor for the Kakheti region, Vazha Maghradze, pointed out several times that the case material included testimonies given by witnesses, as well as the conclusion of the expert which confirms that the accused committed various grave crimes. “Conclusions of experts, testimonies of witnesses and secret video records prove that Nazghaidze, Varazashvili, Abazashvili and Getiashvili have committed these crimes. Gocha Varazashvili pleads everything and it is recorded on video cassette,’ said Maghradze.

The Prosecutor’s office avoids commenting on the fact after the examination conclusion made by the Federal Bureau of the USA Justice Department was added to the case material.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation could estimate the DNA from the cigarette-end found on the crime scene. The discovered that the DNA matched Zurab Getiashvili’s DNA,” the conclusion stated. Last week, Varazashvili said at the trial, that regional Prosecutor. Tamaz Tsabutashvili, the head of the Interior Ministry’s Kakehti Department, Anjafaridze and Gurjaani District’s former prosecutor, Lekso Feriashvili forced him to make the testimony.

“The three of them were beating me during several hours. They ordered me to give a testimony stating that Nazghaidze, Abazashvili, Getiashvili and I had killed the Nabiladzes and Papunashvilis, as well as planned the murder of Guri Shevardnadze. Unless I obeyed them, they threatened to throw me out the window. To hush the crime they would arrange the scene as if I tried to escape and they were going to shoot me,” said Varazashvili at the trial.

Tsabutashvili denied the accusation on threatening the accused in order to get a testimony from him.

“We never beat Varazashvili, He lied.   He willingly made the testimony and pleaded guilty and exposed other criminals as well. The moment of making testimony is recorded and it will soon be made public,” said Tsabutashvili.

At the trial, Anjafaridze did not deny that when he was appointed to the position of the head of the head of the department, he had a close relationship with Nazghaidze.

-Mr. Temur you do not deny the fact that we had a good relationship while I was the chief of the criminal police department. Then, you might remember an important event which happened during that time?

-I do not remember, two years have passed since.
-What about drugs, Mr. Temur, are you still a drug abuser?
-I was, I am and I will always be a drug-abuser… (the style of his speech is reserved).
-I will prove that you are drug dealer and drug-abuser. I will say everything in details in my testimony. I will also say how we saved you from death when you had an overdose. And finally I will say why I am here in prison,” said Nazghaidze and the judge did not let him say the rest. However, the former policeman said in his testimony that he was going to say everything in his next testimony to the court.

The trial did not finish with that. The bailiff took Abazashvili, the accused, into the courtroom without irons. The accused totally changed his initial testimony. “Nazghaidze and I were friends. We were friends after his brother was murdered. He used to ask me whether I knew anything about his brother’s murder, but I did not know anything. One day he told me that the Nabiladzes had arrived from Israel and they might have a lot of money. Nazghaidze offered to me to attack the family. I refused because those people were my neighbors but then he, together with Varazashvili, attacked the family and killed them. I learned about the fact two days later… Gocha told me himself that on January 2, 2004 he walked along the street in his village. Then he noticed Nino Papunashvili at her gate. Gocha told her to wait a little; he wanted to congratulate with the New Year. Then, he phoned Varazashvili and told him to come to his place in secret. On that day they attacked the Papunashvilis and killed them. Gocha doubted his brother was murdered by Nugzar Papunashvili, also known as Chinchraka. Several days later he called me and said that the police had suspected me in the murder. He ordered me to get the end of the cigarette smoked by Getiashvili and I did. So, Getiashvili’s cig end was found on the scene of the crime in this way…I took part in planning the attack on the Nibladzes, but did not kill any of them. We are not killers. I had made a different testimony during the preliminary investigation because Nazghaidze and Varazashvili were threatening me. I do not remember anything more and do not ask me any more questions. Give me some time and I will recall the exact dates of the crimes in prison. Then I will tell them at the trial,” said Abazashvili.

Nazghaidze’s lawyer explained his client’s changing his initial testimony because he was oppressed in the Prosecutor’s office. “The Prosecutor’s Office has the only way out-to force the accused to lie about the testimonies. Abazashvili made many mistakes in his testimonies.
He seemed to have failed to remember the offered testimony by heart. I do not exclude the possibility that the prosecutor’s office would have a plea bargain with him. I should also point out that while making his testimony at the hearing, Abazashvili was not sober,” said the lawyer, who also added that his client’s life might be in danger.

According to the Human Rights Center’s information, prior to the court hearing, Abazashvili had made one more testimony to the prosecutor’s office. Then he spoke about the murder of Merab Jajanashvili, former volunteer for the Police Department in the Gurjaani District, who disappeared ten years ago.  “Nazghaidze and Mamuka Gogiashvili kidnapped him to extort money. Finally, they could not get money, and they murdered him and buried him somewhere,” said Abazashvili in his earlier testimony. On the basis of this information the Kakheti Regional Prosecutor’s Office detained Gogiashvili. The Telavi district court sent him to a two-month pre-trial detention. Neither Gogiashvili’s relatives, nor the murdered person’s family members have made any comments on the situation. The Prosecutor’s Office also avoids speaking about this detention. Gogiashvili practices his right of silence and does not plead guilty. Before he was arrested, the police searched his house in Gurjaani and discovered drugs there.  Witnesses claimed that the law enforcers planted the heroin in the trousers of Gogiashvili’s wife instead of his.
 
The next trial for Nazghaidze’s case is earmarked for Thursday, at the Kvareli District Court.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti