Gakharia for Georgia opposition accuses ruling party, law enforcement, Sheraton Batumi of evidence tampering in “political attack”

The opposition party Gakharia for Georgia on Tuesday accused the ruling Georgian Dream party, law enforcement authorities, and the Sheraton Batumi hotel of collaborating to cover up an alleged politically motivated attack on its leader, Giorgi Gakharia.

Berdia Sichinava, the executive secretary of the party, said during a press briefing that the January 15 attack on Gakharia was an act of political revenge orchestrated by Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. Sichinava alleged that the authorities were intentionally sabotaging the investigation to shield Ivanishvili from accountability.

The party has raised concerns about the handling of key evidence in the case, including surveillance footage from the Sheraton Batumi, where the attack took place. Sichinava accused the hotel administration of delaying the transfer of video recordings to law enforcement and claimed that investigators have restricted access to critical materials.

“The granting of victim status to Giorgi Gakharia turned out to be fictitious,” said Sichinava. “We were denied access to the most important evidence—video recordings—under the pretext of their being sent for examination. Meanwhile, investigators have worked at a forced pace to undermine the case rather than identify the true perpetrators and organizers.”

Sichinava claimed that the Sheraton Batumi administration failed to notify the police, leaving the party to report the incident at 1:44 AM.
Video recordings and server infrastructure containing up to 200 terabytes of data were reportedly removed from the hotel. Sichinava alleged that this was done to limit access to evidence.

Only one non-eyewitness—Sheraton staff—has been interviewed, raising concerns about the thoroughness of the investigation.
Gakharia was granted victim status only after evidence had been removed and sent for examination, casting doubt on the transparency of the investigation.

The attack on Gakharia, who sustained a fractured nasal bone and a concussion, has deepened tensions between his party and Georgian Dream. Gakharia, a former Prime Minister who broke away from the ruling party in 2021, has become a prominent opposition leader.

One of the individuals allegedly involved in the attack is Georgian Dream MP Dimitri Samkharadze. Sichinava also pointed to a separate altercation at the Sheraton involving Zviad Koridze, a representative of the non-governmental sector, who claimed he was confronted by Samkharadze and his associates.