Interior Ministry says detained military expert, his wife, “illegally obtained, stored” secrets of personal lives of hundreds

Teimuraz Kupatadze, the Head of the Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on Saturday said the detained military expert Ucha Abashidze and his wife, illegally obtained and stored the secrets of private lives - the materials depicting an intimate relationship - of hundreds of individuals.

At the press briefing, Kupatadze explained that the Criminal Police had launched an investigation into the cyberattack on the websites of various state agencies on May 4 and within the ongoing investigation on May 9 searched the apartments of Abashidze and his wife, and arrested Abashidze for illegal purchase and storage of firearms and ammunition.

The investigation established that the detainees had “secretly equipped” the residential apartment with video-audio recording devices in different parts of the living room, including household items and appliances to “secretly ensure the illegal recording of intimate relationships”.

Kupatadze said Abashidze’s wife, identified only through her initials, who had been detained earlier today, had placed her contact information on internet websites offering sexual services and after arranging meetings with particular persons, the accused would illegally obtain and keep records of the intimate relationships through specially installed devices “on the regular basis”.

Based on the study of the files containing materials with intimate content by the law enforcement officers, it has been established that citizens of Georgia and other countries are depicted in video footages”, he noted, adding the above-mentioned records also included persons known to the public, whose filming was carried out illegally, without their permission, and therefore, the privacy of their private lives was violated.

As a result of searches of apartments, the police have seized mobile phones, computer equipment, which contained illegally obtained pornographic visual materials and personal secrets of other, cameras, external memory cards, as well as video recorders, drones, video surveillance cameras, memory cards, sound recording equipment, sound amplification equipment and optics.

The police also seized firearms and various special tools from the apartment of Abashidze, as well as military cartridges, which the detainee was keeping illegally, Kupatadze said, explaining that the ballistic expert;s report showed the seized weapons and cartridges were suitable for use.