Gia Gvichiani: “By Imprisoning Me They Wanted to Attract Public Attention away from Girgvliani’s Murder to My Detention”

As part of the work of a public monitoring commission, a journalist of Interpresnews visited prisoner Gia Gvichiani in Prison # 6, who was convicted of the murder of Nika Lominadze, the financial director of AES Telasi.

Gvichiani told IP that he was arbitrarily sentenced to life imprisonment and he therefore urges the new minister of justice and chief prosecutor to review his case urgently.

“They have imposed the ultimate punishment on me, an innocent person, based on the testimony of only one person. This testimony was also amended several times, it is contradictory and cannot be counted as firm evidence . The prosecutor’s office did not reveal the results of the DNA analysis, which were sent from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and proved my innocence. The court summoned ballistic and medical experts from the ministry of justice and passed a verdict which stated that bone can expand and contract so a bullet can leave a hole which is narrower than its diameter,” Gia Gvichiani said.

He stated that the verdict was based on Nika Lominadze’s wound, which was inflicted by a Makarov firearm according to the case materials. However, a Makarov gun should have left a larger wound. Additionally, Gvichiani said that Nika Chemia, the person charged with killing Lominadze, has a valid alibi which proves his innocence; the judge sent defense lawyers out of the courtroom and judged him without protection.

“I have been in prison for seven years illegally. I do not think there is another arbitrary prisoner in Georgian prisons who has served more time here. I urge the new minister of justice and the chief prosecutor to study my case first,” Gia Gvichiani said.

He added that he was a personal prisoner of Vano Merabishvili. “I am Merabishvili’s personal prisoner. They arrested me to turn public attention away from Sandro Girgvliani’s murder to another issue,”
 Gvichiani said.

Interpresnews