Batumi Civil Court sent Kakha Kobidze, former football player of Batumi Dinamo, to prison for four years and two months. According to investigation materials he was accused for having torn twenty lari note. The victim recognized him.
On April 22 Kakha Kobidze asked the owner of the booth to lend him some money but the latter refused. On the next day money disappeared from the booth and the investigator suspected Kobidze. Damaged twenty lari note was found on him as a result of search and Nana Amashukeli, the owner of the booth, recognized her money. However, “The recognition of the single proof in the case materials was carried out through violating the law. The victim does not know Georgian, though she did not have interpreter during the interrogation,” said Lado Mgaloblishvili, coordinator of the Human Rights Center’s Adjara Office.
Merab Varshanidze, lawyer for the accused, said that the accusations are groundless. Besides that Nana Amashukeli pointed out that she had signed her testimony without reading the document because she did not know Georgian. Moreover, the victim could not insist that the note discovered on the accused really was stolen from her booth.
Davit Aznaurishvili, husband of the victim, stated that the investigation was carried out incorrectly. “The law enforcers believed rumors and suspected that young man. Kobidze has no connection with the incident. The investigator suspected only him and did not carry out investigation in other directions.”
Maka Malakmadze, Batumi.