Ex-UNM official Akhalaia says audio recording is fabricated: ‘my voice sounds completely different’

Former high-ranking United National Movement official Bacho Akhalaia on Friday said the main focus of his questioning at the Criminal Police Department was a “fabricated” audio recording, emphasising the voice in the tape “clearly belongs to another person”.

Speaking to journalists after nearly eight hours of questioning, Akhalaia said the interrogation revolved around the details of the recording and the individuals mentioned in it.

“The questioning was mainly about that audio recording - who I know, when I met them. They asked questions repeatedly, checked things, moved from one topic to another, comparing and verifying information. I was waiting most of the time. It did not really require so much time, but technically they were recording, reading back, clarifying - that is what took hours,” Akhalaia explained.

He reiterated that the recording was falsified, adding “the essence of the matter is that it is a fake recording. My voice can be heard there too, but they are obviously voices from completely different worlds.”

Akhalaia said he had nothing to hide and had openly answered all the investigators’ questions.