Parliament’s Investigative Commission reviews allegations of property seizure, torture under former UNM Gov’t

The Interim Fact-Finding Commission on the Activities of the Regime, the Political Leaders of the Regime of 2003-2012 and the Activity of the Incumbent and Former Officials in the Political Unions since 2003 up to today, on Friday heard testimonies from Valeri Shoshiashvili and Giuli Avalishvili, detailing serious allegations of property rights violations, coercion, and inhumane treatment.

Valeri Shoshiashvili, who said he had been involved in a family business since 2005, claimed that in 2006, senior Financial Police official Irakli Kirkitadze demanded a $1,500 payment per customs container, allegedly destined for then-Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.

He asserted that refusal would have led to his arrest and pressure on his family members.

Shoshiashvili noted that prior to the 2008 parliamentary elections, he had been summoned again to the Financial Police and pressured to donate 100,000 GEL to the United National Movement, for which he took out a bank loan.

He further claimed that in 2010, at the request of Kirkitadze, he purchased airtime on Rustavi 2 for the Christian-Democratic Movement for 50,000 GEL. That same year, Kirkitadze allegedly forced him to transfer ownership of his business, after which Kirkitadze took control and became the company’s director, while Shoshiashvili remained the nominal owner.

Shoshiashvili stated that he had been a “hostage of the United National Movement”, and any refusal to comply was met with threats of serious consequences.

He noted that Kirkitadze later left the business, and from 2010 he began receiving summonses from the Prosecutor’s Office, where investigator Beka Basilaia allegedly demanded that he transfer all his and his family’s property to another individual.

“I endured the most difficult 12 hours of my life at the Prosecutor’s Office. Investigator Beka Basilaia and Prosecutor Zaza Maludze were discussing between themselves which method of punishment would be most effective. The wall of the room where I spent those 12 hours was covered with photos of my young children, my wife, and my sister”, Shoshiashvili said.

He added that Basilaia had even shown him footage of prisoners being beaten.

Shoshiashvili further noted that due to existing liens on his property, Basilaia had allegedly changed the method of extraction.

He was forced to purchase a cultural house in Gremi at auction for 700,000 GEL, instead of the previously discussed 100,000, and had to take a $420,000 loan from the Bank of Georgia.

Shoshiashvili stated Basilaia personally managed the bank-related arrangements.

Later, Basilaia allegedly demanded an additional 300,000 GEL from Shoshiashvili, threatening his life if he did not comply.

Shoshiashvili claimed that shortly after the 2012 parliamentary elections, Basilaia summoned him again and offered $1 million to remain silent, which he refused. He believed he would have been arrested immediately had he accepted the money.

In January 2013, he reportedly received a notice from the National Enforcement Bureau requiring him to repay the $420,000 loan and another business-related debt or risk auctioning of his property. The stress, he said, led to a stroke. In 2014, the Prosecutor’s Office recognised him as a victim.

The Commission also heard testimony from Giuli Avalishvili, who spoke about her late brother, Giorgi Avalishvili, who was arrested following the May 2011 protests.

She claimed her brother had been transporting demonstrators by minibus and was arrested based on a provocation after the May 26 crackdown.

Giuli Avalishvili noted that after being transferred to Gldani Prison, Giorgi Avalishvili had been tortured and severely beaten.

“His condition deteriorated, and within months his kidneys failed. He became unrecognisable and was even declared dead and taken to a morgue after one such beating”, she said.

Giuli Avalishvili stated she had made numerous appeals for help, including four letters to the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, but never received a response. The Public Defender at the time, Giorgi Tughushi, reportedly declined to take up the case.

Released from prison in May 2012 due to terminal kidney failure, Giorgi Avalishvili died three days later.

“I want to ask Saakashvili - why did you kill an innocent man? Why did you destroy a peaceful Georgian family? Why did such a regime exist?” she said during the hearing.

The Chair of the Commission Thea Tsulukiani noted that the case of Giorgi Avalishvili would be included in the final report along with many others.

“We’ve heard many cases, but there are likely hundreds more we won’t get to. The scale of the atrocities under Saakashvili’s regime was immense. The materials, testimonies, and evidence collected - even beyond these public hearings - will allow us to draw conclusions that can form the legal and political basis to ensure such individuals never return to power”, Tsulukiani stated.

The next session of the Temporary Investigative Commission is scheduled for Monday, June 9.