Prosecutor General’s Office says ex-President Saakashvili implicated in attempted murder of former ally

The Georgian Prosecutor General’s Office on Friday revealed links it said implicated Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former President of the country, and the 2016 attempted murder of his former ally, Givi Targamadze, in Tbilisi.

The release detailed information about the case that saw a car carrying Targamadze, a member of the United National Movement opposition party, explode in downtown Tbilisi on October 4 of that year, injuring him and two bystanders.

The Tbilisi City Court convicted Darcho Khechuashvili, a former employee of Georgia's Interior Ministry, of attempted murder, property damage, and illegal possession of firearms and explosives in 2019 in the case, and sentenced him to 18 years in absentia. Khechuashvili was arrested by Georgian law enforcement last month while crossing into the country.

In its new comments, the Office detailed Khechuashvili's interactions with Shota Chichiashvili, another figure linked to the case who reportedly met Saakashvili in Ukraine in 2016, when Georgia’s former President served as the Governor of Odessa. 

The Office said Khechuashvili testified Saakashvili had expressed concerns about Targamadze's loyalty during the meeting with Chchiashvili, alleging the opposition figure had cooperated with the ruling Georgian Dream Government that replaced UNM in 2012, prior to the 2016 Parliamentary elections.

Saakashvili instructed Chichiashvili to monitor Targamadze's movements, the body said, while the latter asked Khechuashvili to assist in this task, promising him a "good position" in Odessa in return.

Khechuashvili later informed Chichiashvili of Targamadze's location at the UNM office in Tbilisi on the day of the incident, shortly before the car explosion occurred.

Following the car blast, Khechuashvili fled Georgia illegally, crossing into Turkey on Chichiashvili's instructions, the Office added.

The body also said, along with Saakashvili, Khechuashvili had referenced Gia Lortkipanidze, a former Deputy Interior Minister of Georgia who currently serves as the Deputy Head of Ukrainian military intelligence, in his comments to investigators.