UNM opposition applies to Prosecutor’s Office to look into alleged vote rigging

The United National Movement opposition party on Monday applied to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and requested the initiation of a criminal investigation related to the issue of election fraud, the party member Levan Bezhashvili said. 

 

Bezhashvili said that the infestation must be launched based on the information published by the former deputy head of the Georgian State Security Service, Soso Gogashvili. 

 

Gogashvili was arrested on July 16, 2022 at his home on three charges. The investigation accuses him of tampering with personal data, exceeding his authority and illegal acquisition and storage of firearms.

 

Gogashvili and his family members claim that during  arrest the former official was ill-treated,and that arms and files were planted on him.

 

The former official claimed that he had exposed systemic crimes, including “large-scale use of administrative resources, voter bribery, illegal collection of personal data by the ruling party, receiving illegal assignments from the founder of the ruling party Bidzina Ivanishvili, the involvement of the security guard in the kidnapping of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarli” and others.