Court sentences ex-official Akhalaia to 7 1/2 years in prison for 2006 murder

Tbilisi City Court has sentenced Georgia’s former head of the Constitutional Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, David Akhalaia to seven years and six months in prison today for the murder of Sandro Gvirgvliani back in 2006.

Akhalia was also found guilty in the case of Vamekh Abulashvili and Kakha Dabrundashvili, who were kidnapped in 2005. According to the investigation, these persons were kidnapped by Akhalaia for reasons of personal revenge in the Okrakhana cemetery.

• Read the Girgvliani case details here.

The Abulashvili and Dabrundashvili case was combined with the Gvirgvliani episode. For his involvement in the crime Akhalia was sentenced to six years in prison.

“Akhalaia was found guilty of abuse of power, illegal deprivation of liberty and humiliation of human dignity. Akhalaia was finally sentenced to seven years and six months imprisonment for the episode with Sandro Gvirgvliani, Levan Bukhaidze, Kakha Dabrundashvili and Vamehk Abulashvili, and was deprived of the right to work in public service for one year and six months”, read the press release of the Tbilisi City Court.