20 October 2014, 13:20
Ex-Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili is sentenced to three years of imprisonment in case of Sandro Girgvliani's murder
The Tbilisi City Court has announced the verdict in the case on the murder of Sandro Girgvliani. Vano Merabishvili, the former Prime Minister and the former Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, involved in the case as a defendant, accused of abuse of power, has been sentenced to three years of imprisonment.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in October 2012, the investigation into the case on the murder of Sandro Girgvliani was resumed. According to investigators, apart from earlier identified persons, the murder also involved a number of top-ranking officials. On August 11, Oleg Melnikov, the former deputy head of the Department of Constitutional Security of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), made a confession and claimed that ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili was involved in the plan to reduce the public resonance surrounding the case.
The Court has also announced the verdict against the other defendants. Valerian Metreveli, who was accused of beating Vamekha Abulashvili and Kakhaber Dabrundashvili, friends of Sandro Girgvliani, was sentenced to 4.5 years of imprisonment. Geronty Alaniya, who is hiding from the investigators, has been sentenced in absentia to 4.5 years of imprisonment, the "Georgia Online" reports.
It should be noted that Sandro Merabishvili has already been sentenced in two other cases on bribing voters, embezzlement of public funds and abuse of power.
