NEWS

Ex-Defence Minister Akhalaia sentenced to 9 years in prison

Bacho Akhalaia was one of the most influential figures of Mikheil Saakashvili’s government. Photo: Bacho Akhalaia’s facebook page.

Agenda.ge, 23 Apr 2018 - 17:42, Tbilisi,Georgia

The Tbilisi City Court has sent Georgia’s former Minister of Defence under the United National Movement leadership, Bacho Akhalaia, to prison for nine years for a high-profile torture case involving Colonel Sergo Tetradze in 2011.

The court also sentenced deputy Minister of Defence Nikoloz Dzimtseishvili for four years in prison for the same case.

Tetradze was detained for espionage charges in 2011.

Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office says that with the demand of Akhalaia the individual was severely tortured which caused death.

Read the case details here.

Tetradze’s wife stated after the trial that Akhalaia deserved "tougher punishment.”

The former official told the court that he is innocent.

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