Sandro Girgvliani Murder Case - Interrogation and Trial

Interrogation and Trial

On June 20 investigators from the General Prosecutor’s Office interrogated Data Akhalaia as well as Guram Donadze, the former Interior Ministry spokesman and the Interior Minister’s wife Tako Salakaia. Despite numerous demands by Girgvliani’s relatives their lawyer was not invited to attend the interrogation.

Tbilisi City Court launched on June 27 hearings into the murder case. Tamar Maisuradze, a key witness into the case, told the court, that she was sitting at a table near to that of the Interior Ministry officials and the Interior Minister’s wife. She also said that the victim was speaking emotionally, insulting Donadze but that she was not sure whether her or any other person sitting with him could have heard Girgvliani’s words.

At the court hearing on June 30 these key figures testified that they had heard nothing as music was playing loudly in the café. Investigators have ruled out that the murder was ordered and claim that the incident was a result of a spontaneous quarrel between the suspects and the victim. But the security guard at the café, also questioned by the court, ruled out that a quarrel, or incident took place outside the café.

On July 3 the hearing turned into a confrontation between the opposition and the judge. Inside the courtroom some opposition politicians, including MP Davit Gamkrelidze, the leader of New Rights party, verbally sparred with judge Giorgi Chemia accusing him of bias. As a result the judge demanded MP Gamkrelidze leave the courtroom. Meanwhile outside the courtroom the City Court’s guard refused entry to a group of opposition politicians, citing that the site was overcrowded. After the incident the Chairman of the Supreme Court Kote Kublashvili announced that Gamkrelidze would no longer be able to attend the trial because he was stirring too much noise and disorders at the hearings.

Meanwhile a few days later, Bukhaidze, told the court that Mikheil Bibiluri, one of the four suspects, was not at the scene of Sandro Girgvliani's death. He said that instead of Bibiluri, Oleg Melnikov, was the fourth attacker. "Today I can say for sure before the court: I recollected the fourth person in Okrokana and I can say for sure, that it was Oleg Melnikov" Bukhaidze added.

On July 5 prosecutors accused key suspect into the case Gia Alania, former chief of the first unit of the Interior Ministry’s Department for Constitutional Security, of deliberately inflicting injuries to Girgvliani, which resulted into the latter’s death and demanded nine-year imprisonment for him. Prosecutors demanded eight-year imprisonment for each of other three suspects.

Judge Chemia reached a decision on July 6. The Tbilisi City Court sentenced Gia Alania, ex-chief of the first unit of the Interior Ministry’s Department for Constitutional Security (DCS), to eight-years imprisonment for Sandro Girgvliani's murder. The three other officers were jailed for seven years each. All of them were found guilty of inflicting injuries, which resulted in Girgvliani’s death.

Whilst Chemia was announcing his verdict a few hundred protesters rallied outside the Tbilisi City Court to condemn what they said was a biased trial. The Girgvliani family lawyer, Shalva Shavgulidze, said that the court had done everything to prevent "the whole truth about the case" being revealed. Clashes erupted in the court chambers after the announcement, as opposition party activists and relatives of Girgvliani tussled with the court marshalls. Several protesters, including the opposition Republican Party activist were detained for disorders. Four activists were released on July 29 after serving a 30-day prison sentence for violations of public order outside the Court of Appeals in Tbilisi. Their arrest was condemned by the Ombudsman, Sozar Subari, as illegal.