Prosecutor’s Office questions ex-authority of MoD upon the request of FBI

As the Chief Prosecutors Office of Georgia states, they questioned the Ministry of Defenses former head of the Procurement Department, Alexandre Ninua upon the request of the FBI.

"Due to high public interest, the Prosecutors Office makes public the fact that on October 19, 2012 and 2 July, 2013 we had received the motions of the US Department of Justice requesting legal assistance in a criminal case. As we learned from the motions, US Department of Justice and FBI were conducting an investigation. The FBI requested to conduct certain procedural steps in Georgias territory regarding the case which included questioning of the former head of the Procurement Department for the Ministry of Defense, Chief Prosecutors Office fulfilled the request and carried out requested procedural steps including questioning of Alexandre Ninua on July 30, 2013, reads the statement of the Prosecutors Office.

According to the statement, the questioning process was attended by the representative of the FBI alongside with the Georgian side. The Prosecutors Office claims Ninua has not been  interrogated in any way.

"He had the right to move freely. During 2013,his crossing of the border was recorded. Particularly, he left Georgias territory five times, adds the Prosecutors Office in the statement.

In 2013, Ninua has been questioned two times.  First he was questioned on September 26, then on October 19 in regard to a particular criminal case which, according to the Prosecutors Office, is related to the MoDs budget appropriation of large sums illegally. The Prosecutors Office started the investigation on this case on August 1, 2013.

Ninua was arrested for illegal possession of weapons and sentenced to prison on December 14. According to his lawyer Mamuka Mdinaradze, the defendant provoked his own arrest.

"According to him, he started every day with thinking about what representative of the Procurements Department would be questioned next. This has been a significant stress for him during the past year and he provoked his own arrest himself in order to prove that he is not afraid of jail", - the lawyer said explaining his client approached the Police patrol and deliberately directed their attention to the gun on his belt which was followed with his arrest.

Ninua held his position at the MoD while Ex-Minister David Kezerashvili was in office.

Kezerashvili has been on the Interpol wanted list and was finally arrested on October 10, 2013 in France but has not been extradited to Georgia, yet. He is accused of bribe-taking, violations of Georgias rules for transportation of especially large amount of movable items, and illegal money laundering committed by a group that was accompanied by acquiring a large amount of income. According to the investigation, in the form of tax evasion, the state has suffered 49 million USD, while Kezerashvili received income of 12 million USD.