Late programmer's father links daughter's death to call centres, former officials

The father of late Georgian programmer Tamar Bachaliashvili has renewed allegations that her death was linked to the call-centre network where she worked and named several former government officials in calling for a fresh investigation into the case.

Jumber Bachaliashvili alleged that former State Security Service chief Grigol Liluashvili oversaw the call-centre network and questioned whether former Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri was aware of its activities.

He also claimed that Giorgi Garibashvili, a relative of former prime minister Irakli Garibashvili, privately told him that Tamar had been killed rather than having died by suicide.

"He looked at me and told me, 'Your daughter did not kill herself, she was killed'," Bachaliashvili said.

Bachaliashvili further claimed his daughter had told him two or three days before her disappearance that she was unable to escape problems connected to her work. He also alleged that she had been threatened with death of her family if information about the situation became public.

He added that Tamar had repeatedly visited the Interior Ministry's offices in Ortachala without a pass and questioned why her laptop and flash drive had not been returned to the family.

Bachaliashvili, 23, disappeared on 18 July 2020. She was found dead several days later inside her car in a forest in Tetritskaro.

The official investigation concluded that she had died by suicide after taking a fatal combination of medication. Investigators said they found no evidence of a violent death, and the Prosecutor's Office closed the case in December 2020.

Authorities also cited searches recovered from Bachaliashvili's computer relating to suicide methods and other searches made shortly before her disappearance.

Her family has consistently rejected the official conclusion and has called for the investigation to be reopened.

The case returned to the spotlight in 2023, when the Tbilisi Prosecutor's Office opened a separate investigation into possible evidence falsification following allegations by former investigator Sergo Shubitidze concerning the handling of evidence.

The prosecution said at the time that Shubitidze's investigative work had not affected the conclusions of the main investigation.

Bachaliashvili's latest allegations come as her family again seeks a fresh examination of the circumstances surrounding her death, including her employment and possible links to call-centre activities.