Shida Kartli Financial Police Officers Accused of Breaking the Law

Shida Kartli Financial Police Officers Accused of Breaking the Law

Relatives of Soso Muradashvili, arrested by the financial police, accuse the financial police of breaking the law. The family says that the policemen put nine boxes of cigarettes in the car of twenty-two-year-old Muradashvili. He is a former member of the Special Forces and relatives suppose that this was some kind of retaliation against him.

Muradashvili was arrested in front of a shop at 11 a.m. where he went to buy phone credit, a Niva pulled up and several men got out of it and searched the car minutely. There was nothing in car or the trunk. Then they made Soso sit in the Niva, and a policeman followed them in Soso’s car”, says Eliko Baidauri, eyewitness to the incident. Maia Datuashvili, who also witnessed Soso Muradashvili’s arrest, states the same: “When they began searching him, I did not take my eyes off him, as I was afraid that they would put something in his pocket. How I could imagine they would fill his car with cigarettes. The car was completely empty when it was driven from the place of the arrest.”

Zurab Arsoshvili, head of the Financial Police states the opposite, and considers the case as a ridiculous one. “The Financial Police do not put anything into anyone’s pocket, just the opposite, our officials take cigarettes out. Our people stopped Muradashvili’s car, from which nine boxes of smuggled cigarettes were taken”, says Arsoshvili.

According to him, there are occasions when searching and removal of evidence cannot be performed at the place of arrest. “Let us say crowded places, where evidence cannot be withdrawn or there can be other bad conditions as well. Now the witnesses’ testimonies are less important for me. I don’t know who they are. They may be smugglers too and they are likely to find themselves in a similar situation”, declares Arsoshvili.

The head of the Financial Police does not exclude the possibility that Muradashvili’s stopped in the centre of the town with a car full of cigarettes to hide from the police and confuse them.

The detainee’s father, Amiran Muradashvili, recalls being sent for by financial policemen and being told not to speak about the incident.

“Let us stop the case for a while, let Arsoshvili come and then it will be settled, there might be some misunderstandings. My son bought this car two months ago, as I was told at the Financial Police Office that the car was previously seen transporting smuggled goods, they had information about it. They told me mistakes are often made, let us find out first of all.” says the detainee’s father.

The most curious thing happened in the courtroom. The head of the trial disclosed the financial policemen were ignorant of the law and demanded to know why they had not searched the car at the place of arrest. It is known that the search took place at the police department. The detainee was ordered to pay bail; his lawyers are going to sue against the verdict.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori.