Prosecutor’s Office releases first statement on Iuri Vazagashvili's murder

Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office has released its first official statement regarding the bizarre murder of  Iuri Vazagashvili.

The father of a young man killed by police in 2006 in controversial circumstances in central Tbilisi was killed by an explosive on January 20, 2015, when he visited the grave of his son.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia launched an investigation into the death of father Iuri Vazagashvili according to Article 109 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which implied premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances.

The Prosecutor’s Office emphasized that investigators had already interrogated 30 witnesses since the man's death.

"Despite the high interest, we ask society to understand that due to the interests of the investigation, we cannot discuss the possible investigative versions of what happened and certain details of the case, since this may damage the interests of the investigation,” the Prosecutor’s Office said on its official website. 

The Office underlined that a special investigation team had been established to investigate the death of I. Vazagashvili. The team included the Investigation Division of the Office of the Chief Prosecutor and the Investigation Unit of Shida Kartli District Prosecutor’s Office.

The Prosecutor’s Office highlighted that the body of I. Vazagashvili had been examined and results would be published once the investigation process had finished.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze said the investigation into the murder of I Vazagashvili was in "the early stages" and no concrete statements can be made yet.

"At first glance it seems that all this was planned at a professional level. Killing a man with an explosive device ... cannot be done by an ordinary citizen. Any person whose guilt is proven will be severely punished according to the law. I promise," he said in an interview with Georgia's Imedi TV yesterday.

The investigation into the death of I. Vazagashvili is intensive and ongoing, the Office said.