Archpriest arrested for alleged murder plot to be questioned tomorrow

Georgian Prime Minister today instructed Justice Minister to establish a working group for reforming prosecution. Building of Chief Prosecutor's Office in Tbilisi.
Agenda.ge, 26 Feb 2017 - 17:42, Tbilisi,Georgia

The archpriest who was allegedly plotting the murder of a high-ranking clergy member of the Georgian Orthodox Church will be question on Monday, authorities say.

Jarji Tsiklauri, deputy head of the investigative unit under the Chief Prosecutor’s office, said that detained archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze has been exercising his right to silence since the day he was arrested on February 10.

"Since the detention day, we have offered him five times to be interrogated but he kept refusing it every time”, Tsiklauri said.

He added that Mamaladze will be offered again to be questioned tomorrow and this time it is believed that the archpriest will answer investigator’s questions. His lawyers said yesterday that the cleric is ready to give answers but it is the investigators who delay the process on purpose.

At a special press conference on February 13, the Georgian Chief Prosecutor said an archpriest was detained at Tbilisi International Airport, who intended to leave for Germany and murder a high-ranking clergy member of the Georgian Orthodox Church with the poisonous substance cyanide.

Georgian Patriarch Ilia II underwent a laparoscopic gallbladder surgery in a German clinic on the same day. 

It was expected that all questions regarding the alleged murder plotting would be answered after the Patriarch’s return. However, Ilia II returned to Georgia on Monday but the details of the alleged murder plot had still not been revealed.