Prosecutor’s Office detains 5 ex-officials in surveillance tape scandal

Five former officials in the United National Movement (UNM)-led government  have been detained in relation to illegally taping and keeping videos showing the private life of citizens, which were leaked online last month.

This afternoon the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia held a special press briefing announcing it had detained five former officials involved in the tape scandal regarding videos which were released online on March 11 and 14, 2016. 

The Office laid charges against seven people who served in official duties in the UNM government. Two of the accused were charged in absentia; one was currently in hiding and the other had earlier fled Georgia. 

The Prosecutor’s Office investigation revealed the ex-officials of Georgia’s Constitutional Security Department (CSD) and Ministry of Internal Affairs, selected well-known public figures or opposition leaders and illegally installed cameras in their apartments or temporary residences, and illegally filmed them as they carried out their private lives. The videos were recorded to allegedly blackmail the victims in the future.

The five detained men are: 

• Vasil Leluashvili, ex-deputy head of CSD;
• Revaz Shiukashvili, former head of Tbilisi Main Department of CSD; 
• Roman Zaalashvili, former head of the Tbilisi Second Department of CDS; 
• Irakli Kipshidze, former head of Old Tbilisi Department of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs; and 
• Zurab Pavliashvili, former head of the Ministry’s Seventh Department of Old Tbilisi.

Gigla Shioshvili, ex-deputy head of the Ministry’s Seventh Department of Old Tbilisi is on the run while Givi Katsitadze, former head of the Sixth Department of CSD was charged in absentia. 

While speaking about the case, a spokesperson from the Prosecutor’s Office focused on three cases in 2011-2012 when the accused had illegally taped the private lives of two political leaders and one journalist.

The Office said it was still investigating those who were responsible for the online release of surveillance videos taped and kept by the seven accused. 

If found guilty, the accused face five to eight years in prison.

A brief history of surveillance violations in Georgia

• Hundreds of videos reflecting the private life of Georgian citizens were illegally taped and stored by the UNM government to blackmail people. 
• The majority of videos were publicly destroyed by the current leadership in 2013 after the Georgian Dream coalition defeated UNM in 2012. Only a small number of videos that were not related to a person’s private life were saved to help any future investigations.
• However since 2014 several videos of a sexual nature have been leaked on the internet; the latest occurring on March 11, 14 and 31 of this year.
• One video released on YouTube on March 11 allegedly showing an opposition party leader caused a stir in Georgia and generated significant public backlash.
• About 135 people watched the footage before law enforcers contacted YouTube administration and blocked the video.
• On March 14 another video similar in content appeared on Youtube but it was immediately blocked. 
• On March 15 the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia charged five people for keeping this type of illegal videos but the agency did not specify whether these people were responsible for the leak of the two videos.
• Other videos showing a person’s private life were sent to several journalists on March 31 but these videos were immediately blocked to the public.