Witnesses Altered Their Initial Testimonies At the Trial on Bachana Akhalaia’s Case

Salome Chkheidze

Witnesses of the defense side – former commander of Senaki Battalion Davit Vekua and sergeant of the fourth battalion Irakli Jimsheladze – altered their initial testimonies made during preliminary investigation. Jimsheladze said he was intimidated during investigation.

Prosecutor said that testimony of the witness Davit Vekua made at Bachana Akhalaia’s trial absolutely contradicted his previous testimony made during preliminary investigation. Namely, during preliminary investigation, Vekua said that he was not in Vaziani unit during briefing and did not know what happened there. However, at the trial he said he was in the briefing room though entered there later, stayed a few minutes and heard that Bachana Akhalaia was calmly speaking with soldiers.

Former defense minister Bachana Akhalaia and other people accused in the same case are charged for verbal and physical assault of soldiers in Vaziani Brigade # 4 in October of 2011. 

When interrogating the second witness Irakli Jimsheladze, the prosecutor said the witness had made different testimony during preliminary investigation but Jimsheladze said he had not read his testimony and investigator was intimidating him during questioning.

“Investigator Karlo Katsitadze was shouting at me when asking questions and demanded me to confirm his words. I did not obey his orders and he threatened with sacking me from job. I told him what I had really seen but he wanted me to say that the minister was shouting and assaulting soldiers. Finally, since he could not obtain similar information from me, he gave me a sheet of paper and ordered to sign it; I signed without reading it,” Irakli Jimsheladze said at the trial.