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Eighty-year-old Old Man Is Judged for Contradicting the Testimony

June 22, 2007

kacib.gifJudge accused Shakhzad Vanadze, a resident of the village of Gelauri in Khulo District, for contradicting the testimony as a witness. Vanadze said that he could not make a testimony because he had not witnessed the crime and had no information about it. According to the accusation, Vanadze shall be sentenced to four-year-imprisonment.

Criminal case on Shakhzad Vanadze was launched for the second time during the last six months. In both cases the reason for the criminal prosecution was neighbor’s conflict. In the first occasion he was found guilty and was sentenced to six-month suspended sentence. Now, Georgian court might find eighty-year-old man guilty for the second time.

Vanadze calls the new accusation a misunderstanding. He said that police officials invited him to the court. He was found in an awkward situation because he did not know the legislation. “Several months ago, my family and neighbors had an argument, though I was not at home.  I was taking medical treatment in Batumi. A policemen brought me summon on the day of trial and asked me to appear before the court. At the trial I stated that members of my family, who took part in the argument, were away and asked them to postpone the hearing for the reason. The judge told me to sign the document stating I contradict to make a testimony, and there would be no more problems. I said I could not make a testimony because I was not at home during the conflict; thus I had no information about the incident. It seems I committed a crime when making similar statement before the court.”

Lawyer Ramin Papidze said that, the accused made a factual testimony. “Vanadze said that he could not make any testimony because he had no information about the incident. In fact it is a testimony. The judge altered Vanadze’s statement according to his wish. He considered that Shakhzad contradicted the testimony. On the one hand, if Vanadze did not want to make a testimony he would not have appeared before the court.  On the other hand, the judge had concluded that Vanadze would have heard about the incident from other people and would have been able to make a testimony.”  The lawyer said that with the accusation, Vanadze faces the imprisonment ranging from six months to 4 years or suspended sentence.

The accused speaks about the personal interest of the judge in the incident. “My family has had argument with our neighbor Rejeb Shainidze for thirty years already.  Shainidze burnt down my house, holiday house in the mountain and great amount of wood. Last year we had a serious quarrel and as a result I was accused for the first time in my life. Current conflict happened with the Shainidzes. Salikh Shainidze, judge for Khulo District Court, is a relative of our neighbors.”
 
Vanadze recalled the first incident and for what he does not plead himself guilty at all. “The Shainidzes, three people, attacked my son in the field during mowing. My daughter-in-law heaped her husband. When I arrived on the place everything was over. Another neighbor who witnessed the incident and Rejeb Shainidze himself stated in their testimonies that I was not on the place during the incident. However one of them stated in the testimony that I had injured Makvala Shainidze by hitting an axe-back in her head. It is false, of course. How could a person survive with only a tenuous injure after being hit an axe?” Vaanadze wrote in his petition to Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili. The old man expects assistance from the president.

Emzar Diasamindze, Batumi 

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