Olympic champion Zviadauri sent to pretrial detention on murder charges

Georgian olympic champion in Judo and a former MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party Zurab Zviadauri has been denied 50,000 GEL bail by Telavi court earlier today. 

 

 

Zviadauri was arrested on August 17 after a deadly incident in Tsinandali village of eastern  Kakheti region the previous day which left three individuals dead, including Zviadauri’s brother. 

 

 

Zviadauri says that he was forced to shoot because first shots were fired at him and his brother and that it was not a premeditated murder. 

 

 

However, the prosecution says that the murdered man suffered several shots, including in the back ‘which means that Zviadauri was not repelling an attacker.’ 

 

 

Olympic champions Lasha Bekauri and Lasha Talakhadze have offered to be guarantors that Zviadauri would not go on the run or try to make influence on witnesses if the judge released him on bail. However, the proposal has been dismissed. 

 

 

If found guilty Zviadauri may be sentenced up to 15 years in prison. 

 

 

Police say that the incident was sparked by an ordinary issue and led into physical conflict which left three dead and one injured. 

 

 

Zviadauri won the Olympic gold in 2004, while he served as a legislator in the eighth convocation of the state legislature between 2014 and 2016.