Prosecutor General meets father of footballer who died of Covid-19

Georgia’s Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze has met Gaioz Charkviani, the father of footballer Vakhtang Charkviani, who died after being hospitalised with Covid-19 in 2021, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

The meeting was also attended by Tamar Bezhuashvili, chair of the council reviewing complaints from victims in cases involving loss of life.

Charkviani was briefed again on the details of the criminal case, the progress of the investigation and investigative and procedural measures carried out. He was also given answers to questions he raised.

The sides agreed that the council would continue reviewing the case, with Charkviani involved in the process, and that the public would be informed of the outcome.

The investigation into Vakhtang Charkviani’s death was opened on 8 October 2021 following a complaint by his father. The Prosecutor’s Office said criminal proceedings had subsequently been brought against three people.

According to the investigation, Charkviani was admitted to the Republican Hospital in Tbilisi on 11 August 2021 after being diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. He was treated in the therapeutic department from 12 to 17 August before being transferred to intensive care. He died on 10 September.

Investigators concluded that the head of the hospital’s therapeutic department, Ketevan Tsertsvadze, and doctor Ketevan Lobzhanidze had improperly performed their duties and violated clinical management rules for Covid-19, contributing to a deterioration in Charkviani’s condition.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the doctors had started and subsequently changed antibiotic treatment on 14 August without conducting the required bacteriological testing. As a result, it was not established whether Charkviani had a bacterial infection or what his antimicrobial resistance profile was, which prosecutors said complicated his subsequent treatment.

The investigation also established that Tea Begiashvili, a senior nurse in the intensive care department, falsified part of Charkviani’s medical records by signing documents in place of duty nurses and recording that she had performed medical procedures that, according to prosecutors, she had not actually carried out.

Begiashvili was charged in January 2023 with falsifying documents. The Tbilisi City Court convicted her in February 2024 and sentenced her to 18 months in prison. The Prosecutor’s Office said the conviction was upheld by higher courts.

Tsertsvadze was charged in November 2023 under Article 220¹(2) of Georgia’s Criminal Code. She was convicted by the Tbilisi City Court in November 2025 and sentenced to two years and six months in prison. With the prior consent of Charkviani’s father, acting as his legal successor, an amnesty was applied and she was released from serving the sentence.

Lobzhanidze was charged under the same provision in February 2025. In April 2026, the Tbilisi City Court terminated the criminal prosecution against her after an amnesty was applied with Charkviani’s prior consent, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

The Prosecutor’s Office also said that on 23 September, Charkviani met Bezhuashvili separately to discuss the criminal case.