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MIA Studying “Stone Energy” – Next Campaign against Ivanishvili

October 24, 2011

Aleksi Bezhanishvili

On October 22, Valeri Levin, representative of Businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Moscow Office was detained at the Tbilisi International Airport. He brought documents which were officially requested from Russian Consulate by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s representatives.

Bidzina Ivanishvili’s press-center reported that Georgian law enforcement officers prohibited Levin to leave Georgia before the investigation finishes.

“On October 22, Georgian law enforcement officers detained representative of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Moscow’s office Valeri Levin at the Tbilisi International Airport and released him late at night after several-hours interrogation. Levin brought documents – notification about Ivanishvili’s residence and tax-payment-which were officially requested from the Russian Consulate by the businessman’s representative necessary for the suspension of Ivanishvili’s Russian citizenship. The procedures of citizenship’s suspension have been underway for more than two weeks and the consulate requests a set of documents from the businessman. In contradiction to it, President Mikheil Saakashvili stripped Georgian citizenship of Bizdina Ivanishvili only within several hours.

Valeri Levin arrived in Georgia to deliver the abovementioned documents to the businessman. Together with those documents he brought magazine “Stone Energy” to Georgia. The magazine is sold in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan and its price is about 10 GEL. The weekly magazine is sold together with mineral stones. Bidzina Ivanishvili’s 14-year-old daughter Gvantsa has been collecting those stones for several years already and she already has several dozens of similar stones in her collection. The officers of the Constitutional Security Department told Valeri Levin’s lawyer Shalva Tadumadze that his client was detained because of those stones because they had operative information that Levin was arriving in Georgia together with radio-active substances,” Ivanishvili’s press-center reported.

The mineral stones, brought by Ivanishvili’s representative, were sent for expertise.

Valeri Levin’s lawyer Shalva Tadumadze said his client might remain in Georgia for 1-2 weeks.

“It was curious case. When I asked the investigator why Valeri Levin was detained he said they had information that Levin was bringing radioactive substance from Moscow. In fact, Levin brought magazine Stone Energy for Ivanishvili’s 14-year-old daughter Gvantsa; she is collecting mineral stones. The magazine is sold together with color crystals and the law enforcement officers withdrew those crystals from Levin,” Tadumadze told Pirveli.

“The crystals will be sent for expertise. The results will supposedly be ready within one or two weeks. Levin cannot leave Georgia before investigation finishes,” said the lawyer.  

The lawyer also clarified that criminal case was launched on the fact and Levin is neither accused nor witness.

“The investigation was launched based on the operative information of the CSD and not against Levin. The investigation alleges that somebody intended to bring radioactive substances to Georgia. Levin cannot leave Georgia before the expertise releases conclusion. Maybe, they will state that the stones were extraordinary but I am sure the conclusion would prove Levin’s innocence because he has not brought any radioactive substances to Georgia,” said Tadumadze.

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