vakhtang_kiria_murder

(Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–The top prosecutor in Georgia’s western region Samegrelo Zemo Svaneti was found dead in Tbilisi Saturday evening. The murder suspect has allegedly committed suicide.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) named the suspect in the murder of prosecutor Vakhtang Kiria as Bidzina Kuchava, head of the TV and radio company Sakartvelos Khma (Voice of Georgia).

MIA also informs that police was looking for Kiria since January 15 as he left home on January 13 and didn’t return, while family didn’t know anything about his location and phone was off.

Police found Kiria’s mobile phone in Rustavi, a town 20 km south of the capital.

The body, which was found on January 16 in a locked apartment in Tbilisi’s Vazha-Pshavela district, had bodily injuries inflicted by a knife and a gunshot wound to the head.

The murderer had tried to hide his traces, according to the MIA.

An investigation has been launched for premeditated murder.

The apartment where the body was found had been rented by Kuchava, a relative of the victim, and he was the one who purchased the items used to murder Kiria. Police launched a search for Kuchava as the prime suspect in the case.

When he was located in Tbilisi’s Ortachala district, the police stopped the car he was driving in with two other persons. At that point, Kuchava took out a gun, which was also registered in his name, and killed himself.

When the police searched Kuchava’s clothes, they found he was carrying a bloody registration card for Kiria’s car, gloves, three mobiles and other items.

Kuchava’s wife Marina Nikolozashvili told journalists on Monday that she doesn’t agree with the version of events told by investigators. There are too many questions, she said, and didn’t rule out that her husband, too, was murdered.

“He couldn’t have killed Paata. We are too close families.”

Nikolozashvili said she had been questioned her for 18 hours and learned only a few hours before that her husband was dead.

Giorgi Jikia spoke on behalf of the Kuchava family to demand an independent forensic examination and said the body had injuries which raise many questions.