Tbilisi, DFWatch – As Archil Kbilashvili, the Chief Prosecutor, said the president might be interrogated on the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia, seizure of independent TV by Saakashvili’s close ally and ‘some other cases’.
Archil Kbilashvili stated at Maestro TV’s program Pres-Press that final decision had to be made. However, investigation has enough evidences that president was informed about ‘several important facts’ now under investigation.
Hague Court representatives visited Georgia few days ago and requested to conduct ‘proper investigation’ regarding Russia-Georgia August war, Kbilashvili said. That might be one reason for Saakashvili’s questioning, Kbilashvili stated.
“We do have this obligation,” he said adding that previous government didn’t properly conduct investigation and ‘no tangible results achieved’ in this regard.
“New government and its leader expressed political will that this issue will be objectively investigated,” Kbilashvili remarked, “we should set up special investigative team and start working. That doesn’t exclude interrogation of anyone, including the president.”
Kbilashvili also points to the case of Imedi TV, a major independent TV channel by the fall of 2007, seized by the police special force amid large-scale anti-government street protest of opposition. Imedi was owned by opposition leader Badri Patarkatsishvili, a Russian oligarch and then friend of late Boris Berezovsky. Patarkatsishvili died soon after in exile in London by heart attack.
After defeat in 2012 parliamentary elections Giorgi Arvelazde, Saakashvili’s United National Movement party former boss, who took over the station after the 2007 crackdown, had to return it to Patarkatsishvili family. Arveladze is Saakashvili friend and former Secretary General of his UNM party.
Kbilashvili noted that there are some other cases, where president might me be related and may also be questioned, but he didn’t specify the cases.
President administration hasn’t commented on this issue.
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