Georgian Government denies pressure on ex-PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili denied allegations about pressure from chief prosecutor on ex-interior minister Vano Merabishvili, who is now in pre-trial detention.

The former PM and Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili accused the Chief Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze of using pressure and threats during his trial earlier today, December 17.  

Garibashvili names two possible reasons why Merabishvili could have made such a statement. "He either wants to discredit our government, or this is some kind of threat towards ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, said Garibahsvili, who now is paying an official visit to Baku, Azerbaijan.

"It may be a provocation against our government, or an attempt to manipulate the new Chief Prosecutor, I am not sure. However, it could be because of Merabishvili's fear and if it is so, there can be two reasons for this: arrest of the former authority of Tbilisi Mayor who had been the head of the security service of late Zurab Jvania. Second, it is possible that Merabishvili is trying to blackmail his former boss, Mikheil Saakashvili. Though, things coincided in a strange manner. It is true that the city mayor former authority was arrested because of another case but as it seems Merabishvilis fears increased since he made very interesting accents: one about death of Zurab Jvania, and second, about the financial issues related to Saakashvili, Garibashvili said.

Georgian Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani also says that Merabishvilis statement cannot be true and it is even "unimaginable. Though, Tsulukiani promises that case will be taken seriously,

"Since this statement has already been done, now we should take it seriously. We should not act like the previous government used to do. They would say that everyone else, except themselves, was lying, the Minister said.

The Georgian Chief Prosecutors Office strongly denies any kind of pressure on ex-PM Vano Merabishvili, who is now in pre-trail detention. The statement released by the office reads that all Merabishvili says is "completely absurd.

 "The chief prosecutors office strongly denies exerting any kind of pressure on this person and stresses that after the trial into charges against Merabishvili went into its final phase, defendants and their sympathizers are undertaking various actions aimed at misleading public and mounting pressure on participants of the trial, the prosecutors office said.

They also promised that despite of this, the prosecutors office will start an investigation as it is defined within the law.

 Ex-ruling party of the United National Movement demands an investigation to start and an authority to be temporarily cut to the Chief Prosecutor and the Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance. They also want all the video recordings showing Merabishvilis prison cell to be examined.

As the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistacne said, they will not make public the video recodings unless the investigation is proceeded.