Government Recalled 6-year-old “Crime” Just Before Elections

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

On September 1, law enforcement officers released member of the Georgian Dream’s Kutaisi organization Gela Goshadze several hours after detention under bail of 3 000 lari. He was accused of abuse of power.

The fact occurred several years ago when the Georgian Dream’s member Goshadze was inspector-investigator of the Kutaisi division of the Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regional department of the MIA. He has 20-year-old working experience.

Representatives of the Georgian Dream evaluated Gela Goshadze’s detention as next illegal action. “They argue with Gela Goshadze about the 6-year-old case. The case is about professional negligence and not about abuse of power. In 2006, he was reported about criminal offence but did not respond to it. First of all, if this fact really occurred it was negligence and not abuse of power. Moreover, the government recalled about this case 6 years later. So, we think it is obvious for everybody what the motive of his detention was,” Nato Katamadze, head of Georgian Dream’s Kutaisi office said.

Opposition party members state that a lot of irrelevances are observed in Gela Goshadze’s case. “In general, General Inspection is in charge of investigating crimes committed by an acting police officer and not by former ones. Goshadze is resigned police officer and he pledges law enforcement officers have never observed any suspicious circumstances in his 20-year professional activities.  But now, when he joined politics and carries out active political activities, he was immediately arrested.”

“Neither local nor central administrations [of the MIA] have ever rebuked me for bad work during my 20-year working experience. Just the opposite, in 2008, based on the Minister Vano Merabishvili’s decree Makarov gun was assigned to me and two more police officers as presents. I was carrying that gun. If I were bad officer, they would not have awarded me,” Gela Goshadze told humanrights.ge

Gela Goshadze worked as a senior inspector-investigator of Kutaisi city division of the Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regional department of MIA during 20 years. On October 1, 2011 he was dismissed based on his personal resignation letter.

Goshadze joined Kutaisi office of the Coalition Georgian Dream in March of 2012. Later he was detected standing besides Bidzina Ivanishvili when the Coalition leader was meeting people in Sachkhere. According to humanrights.ge’s information, security officers warned Goshadze against being too active [in opposition parties] after Sachkhere’s case. They were threatening former police officer and “friendly” recommended him [how to behave].”

Once, law enforcement officers summoned Gela Goshadze as a witness for the interrogation of Georgian Dream’s Kutaisi activists; then they were postponing meeting with him several days.

On September 1, police officers arrested Gela Goshadze near his house (when he was driving into a garage). Witnesses say four cars pulled down at his house in the morning; masked people got out of the cars and detained Gela Goshadze without any explanations. Initially he was taken to Kutaisi Police Main Department and then to Digomi pretrial detention setting in Tbilisi. Goshadze was released several hours after detention under bail of 3 000 lari.

The representatives of the opposition party claim that accusation against their member is groundless. According to the current law, the crime he was accused is punished by imprisonment up to 3 years. The case was launched under Article 332 Part I of the Criminal Code of Georgia. General Inspection of the MIA is investigating the case. Trial will be held at the Tbilisi City Court on October 23, after the parliamentary elections.