Former Prosecutor’s Office official sentenced to imprisonment

Former high ranking official of the Prosecutor’s Office Mirza Subeliani was sentenced to pre-trial detention at a court session yesterday, charged with failing to inform the authorities of a murder. 

Based on the investigation the prosecutor had requested the detention of Mirza Subeliani which was approved by the court, given that there were grounds to believe he had influenced witnesses. 

Two 16-year-old boys were stabbed to death in a school brawl in Tbilisi on December 1, 2017. Davit Saralidze died in hospital due to multiple wounds in his back, while Levan Dadunashvili died immediately.

Investigators said that Mirza Subeliani visited his relatives, the Kalandia family, on December 1 while they were also witnesses and accused in the murder case and on the other hand, one of the accused G.J. was also present. 

Investigators say that Mirza Subeliani was informed about the murder on Khorava street as well as about his relatives' involvement which he did not declare to investigative bodies. 

The court has convicted two people in the adolescent murder case so far, G.B. to ten years and six months for the premeditated murder of Dadunashvili and G.J. to nine years and nine months for the attempted murder of David Saralidze. 

Since the court verdict failed to identify the actual killer of 16-year-old David Saralidze who died from multiple knife wounds, his father Zaza Saralidze started a protest rally in the end of May demanding the government to hold accountable the actual killers.

One of the people named by Zaza Saralidze was Mirza Subeliani as well. Saralidze accused him of protecting the real offenders.

The next court hearing on Subeliani’s case will be held on July 30.