Detention of Officials at Pension Fund in Samegrelo

In Tbilisi, detention of Zaza Sofromadze, Head of Social Insurance Fund, was murkily coincided with the detention of officials from the four District Pension Funds in Samegrelo Region. They were detained by Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Regional Prosecutor's Office.

Directors, tellers and leading specialists of the Martvili, Tsalenjikha, Senaki and Zugdidi Branches of Pension Fund, fourteen in total. Regional Prosecutor, Roland Akhalaia introduced a list of crimes committed by these people and facts of abusing their power at the special briefing. According to the Prosecutor, officials from the Pension Fund have inflicted the damage on the State Budget by wasting ten thousands of lari. They used to grant pension to under retirement-age, dead and employed people. Besides that, the Prosecutor's office charged Zviad Chanturia, head of Zugdidi Pension Fund for unreasonable expenses of reconstruction and management funds. The latter resulted into wasting 19 000 GEL.

[According to unofficial information] detention string in Samegrelo District Branches of Pension Fund will continue. As it became clear both Prosecutor's Office and Financial Police got interested in Guram Chitashvili's activities, who is the Chief of Pension Fund's Branch in Khobi. Nobody speaks regarding the case yet [however, they do not try to explain the charges of those who are already detained either].

The detentions took place on October 19-20 and on the second day Zugdidi District Court discussed preventive measures against detainees. As it was foreseen beforehand eleven out of fourteen detainees were sentenced to preliminary detention. As for three women, although the court bailed them for 10 000 GEL, they were given only one day to pay the bail and were not released either. Moreover, all of them were taken to Zugdidi jail#4.
 
Relatives of detainee Nana Khufenia, former specialist at Zugdidi Pension Fund, stated that they had offered a house to the court as a bail. Now they wonder why she was placed in the jail.

Lawyer Demur Sotkilava stated that N. Khufenia was accused for less grave crime and she would be released as soon as she paid bail.

Nato Berulava, Zugdidi