Property illegally seized by ex-gov’t returned to family of late Sulkhan Molashvili

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has returned property back to the family of late Sulkhan Molashvili, ex-head of Georgia’s State Audit Office, because it was illegally seized under the country’s previous government.

Today the Chief prosecutor’s Office announced Molashvili’s family had received back their summer-house in Tsavkisi village in the outskirts of capital Tbilisi which the family was forced to transfer free of charge to the state in 2004.

The Office explained that in July 2004 the ex-official’s brother, Tornike Molashvili was contacted by then-Prosecutor’s Office officials and was asked to purchase the Tsavkisi house for 140,000 GEL (about $58,000 USD / €52,000*) then give it to the state for free. If done so, he was promised that his brother Sulkhan who was in a pre-trail detention at that time would be released and be able to stay home before the end of his court case.

The family accepted this offer, took a loan from bank, bought the house and transfer it to the state for free. Despite this, Molashvili wasn’t freed from pre-trail detention.

Who was Sulkhan Molashvili?

Sulkhan Molashvili was former head of Georgia’s State Audit Office who died of liver failure in July 2016.

He was recognised as a victim of Georgia’s previous United National Movement (UNM) government when the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) acquitted him in 2014 after it was found the former government abused his human rights.

Molashvili was found guilty of abuse of power, concealing a crime and misappropriation of public funds on April 23, 2004, shortly after the Rose Revolution through which UNM took office. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

He spent four years behind bars and was released in 2008 under a motion of Patriarch Ilia II.

Molashvili stated his human rights were permanently violated in prison.

When coming to office in late 2012 after the Parliamentary Elections, the current Government of Georgia addressed ECtHR authorities, who admitted the former government’s violations in Molashvili’s case and requested permission to re-investigate the incident.

The Strasbourg-based Court ordered the state to pay Molashvili €20,000 compensation and to complete a new investigation within one year.

The current Government paid the compensation in January 2015, while the investigation in Molashvili’s case is still in progress.

Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office said dozens of witnesses have been questioned and volumes of documents have been studied during the course of the investigation.

*Currencies are equivalent with the latest exchange rate of the National Bank of Georgia.