Ex-UNM official Akhalaia denies involvement in 4 October rally, calls media audio ‘fake’

Former high-ranking United National Movement official Bacho Akhalaia has denied any role in organizing the 4 October rally in Tbilisi. Speaking at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) on Friday, he claimed that an audio recording circulated by Imedi TV was completely falsified, adding that neither his voice nor any sound in the clip is authentic.

“I am deeply ashamed that I was not involved in any of this. Unfortunately, I was just watching from my kitchen,” Akhalaia said. “On the other hand, if people think logically, do they really need someone to organize the calls of Paata Burchuladze and Levan Khabeishvili?”

Akhalaia attended the MIA without a lawyer, explaining that he refused to participate in what he described as a farce of legal proceedings.

“It always annoyed me when someone said they wouldn’t go to the prosecutor’s office and would wait for court - what difference does it make? Lawyers, courts, laws - do they really exist? Nothing exists. I will not participate in this charade.”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that Akhalaia was summoned as a witness on 10 October at 13:00 for voice sample collection as part of the ongoing investigation into the events of 4 October. The MIA statement identifies him as Bachana Akhalaia, born 1980.

The audio published by Imedi TV allegedly features Akhalaia and Burchuladze discussing the rally, including references to violence and potential bloodshed. However, neither Imedi nor its sources have verified the recording’s authenticity. Akhalaia’s wife, Ana Nadareishvili, claimed the clip was completely fabricated, and according to Myth Detector, it could have been AI-generated.

Akhalaia also suggested that current media coverage and political pressures presented a stark choice for political figures.

“Either everyone goes to prison, or everyone leaves the country, or everyone gets ‘erased.’”