Tbilisi mayor calls for investigation into ex-Pres Saakashvili’s remarks on sergeant’s death

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has called on law enforcement authorities to examine a social media statement by former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili concerning the death of Sergeant Roin Shavadze, describing it as a direct admission of murder.

Saakashvili called Shavadze a traitor and alleged that he had passed Georgian troop positions and coordinates to Russian intelligence in 2008. He also said Shavadze should have been tried at the time 

Speaking to journalists, Kaladze accused Saakashvili’s former government of systematic abuses and said the statement warranted renewed scrutiny by investigative authorities.

“This is a direct admission regarding a murder,” Kaladze said, adding that investigators should take another look at the matter.

The mayor also levelled broader accusations against the former government, alleging that it had been responsible for violence, business extortion, killings and the disappearance of people in custody. He said these abuses had contributed to Georgian voters’ decision to support Georgian Dream in the 2012 election.