Prosecutor’s Office charges former Defence Minister Akhalaia

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has brought charges against former Defence Minister Bacho Akhalaia on counts of organising and leading group violence.

The body said the crime is punishable by up to nine years’ imprisonment.

The investigation conducted by the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs established that the defendant, Akhalaia, used mobile communication technologies to organise and personally lead the alleged criminal actions of Paata Burchuladze, Murtaz Zodelava, Irakli Nadiradze, Paata Manjgaladze, Lasha Beridze and other individuals.

Specifically, the charges relate to the organisation of group violent acts, public calls to violently change Georgia’s constitutional order and overthrow state authority and attempts to seize a strategic and particularly important facility.

According to the prosecution, under Akhalaia’s direct leadership and organisation, Burchuladze, Zodelava and Nadiradze made public calls to violently change the constitutional order and overthrow the Government several days before the local self-government elections. The defendants allegedly sought to mobilise citizens with aggressive attitudes, encouraging them to gather and participate in violent actions, while publicly advocating the need for a revolution and the mass involvement of certain groups in order to overthrow the state authorities.

The Prosecutor’s Office states that on the day of the local self-government elections, October 4, the defendants and other individuals decided to organise group violent actions, which were allegedly led and coordinated by Akhalaia. On the same day, during a protest rally held at Freedom Square, Burchuladze presented an action plan to the gathered participants, according to which immediate detention of certain Government representatives and the execution of various violent acts were planned.

Akhalaia has formally been charged with organising and leading group violence under Article 225, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, carrying a possible sentence of up to nine years in prison.

The Prosecutor’s Office noted that it will apply to the court within the legally prescribed timeframe to request pretrial detention as a preventive measure for the detained defendant.