Tengiz Gunava: “New Government Took Revenge on Me”

Interpresnews

Former head of General Inspection of the MIA Tengiz Gunava is about to lodge a suit to the chief prosecutor’s office. Having left Gldani Prison #8, Gunava told journalists that he was subjected to illegal action and requests the chief prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili to start impartial investigation into his case.

Tengiz Gunava was accused of illegal purchase-storage of narcotic substance, illegal purchase-possession-carriage of firearms.

Court imposed bail of 10 000 lari on former head of the MIA’s general inspection instead imprisonment. He was released from Gldani prison on November 18.

“It was illegal action against me and I will appeal against those people, who committed this crime against me,” Gunava said and added that new government took revenge on him because he is ally, friend and co-thinker of Bacho Akhalaia, former Minister of Interior who is in prison now.

Lawyers clarify that series of procedural violations were observed in Gunava’s case and they will appeal to the prosecutor’s office with the request to investigate them. Lawyer Giorgi Oniani said law enforcement officers arrested Tengiz Gunava in the entrance to his house at 2:00 am on November 16; during detention narcotic substance and firearms were planted on him.

“Besides that, during detention law enforcement officers put mask over his head and took him to a police office where he was demanded to drink a cup of water. After he refused to drink water, they threatened Gunava with injection. So he decided to drink water. Besides that, during detention law enforcement officers did not clarify his rights to him and did not allow to get in touch with the lawyer and friends; this is procedural violation. Besides that, there is nothing in the detention protocol, as he didn’t sign the protocol,” Giorgi Oniani said.

At the press-conference on November 19, Tengiz Gunava’s another lawyer Malkhaz Velijanashvili said drugs and firearms were planted on his client. According to the lawyer, his client had two registered guns and did not need to have unregistered one with him.

As for drugs, Malkhaz Velijanashvili said the fact of drug-withdrawal was faked. When Gunava was detained, he was demanded to drink water where narcotic substance was mixed.

According to the lawyer, Tengiz Gunava refused to drink water after what law enforcement officers threatened him with injection. Afterwards, Gunava drank water and expertise also found morphine in his blood; however, the withdrawn narcotic was Heroine.

Malkhaz Velijanashvili claims Heroine cannot be mixed into water so Gunava was compelled to drink morphine in water.

Tengiz Gunava said the accusation about drug-abuse is categorically unacceptable for him. “I will tell you one example – my brother died of drug-addiction and I did not even attend his funeral. You should make conclusions yourselves,” Tengiz Gunava said.

Gunava’s defense side appeals to the chief prosecutor’s office to study the action of the people who planted firearms and drugs on him. Gunava and his lawyers request chief prosecutor to punish law enforcements who participated in the detention of colonel.

Minister of Interior Irakli Garibashvili told journalists that former head of MIA’s General Inspection Tengiz Gunava was under influence of narcotics during detention.

Garibashvili added that he does not have information about details. “The prosecutor’s office studied other circumstances. When I came in office, I declared that nobody will ever plant firearms or drugs on people. According to my information, Gunava was under influence of narcotic substances in the moment of detention. I do not know other details,” Garibashvili said.