State Security Service begins anti-coup investigation
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, October 26
The Interior Ministry (MIA) has imposed 24 hour monitoring on the territory of the Rustavi 2 TV building. The statement was made by the head of the MIA Social Relations Service Tea Pertaia, who also said that patrol police officers will continuously guard the area.
The MIA's decision was made after the State Security Service Counter-Intelligence Department had started an investigation under the article 315 of Georgian Criminal Code, which deals with the possibility of the planning of a coup to overthrow the government.
According to the State Security Service, the investigation was launched on the basis of information released by the media, as well as operative-searching measures conducted by the State Security Service Counter-Intelligence Department.
It should be noted that a Ukrainian website, wikileaks.center, has published transcripts of an alleged conversation held between former President Mikheil Saakashvili and former Security Secretary Giga Bokeria at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on October 22. The transcript is titled as “Saakashvili is preparing a coup against Georgia".
Giga Bokeria, a member of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party, has already been summoned for questioning. According to him, former PM Bidzina Ivanishvili has an illusion that due to such actions he will be able to neutralize the public forces that will prevent him from maintaining power after the elections.
“It is really a pity that employees of our counter-intelligence had to waste time on such a foolish, absurd issue,” Bokeria told journalists outside the State Security Service headquarters in Tbilisi after he was interrogated.
The Chair of the UNM, Goka Gabashvili, says that open-minded people will not believe the released information.
“Ivanishvili sees that he is losing popularity and now he has planned to blame the opposition in preparing a coup against the government. This is an absolutely absurd allegation,” said Gabashvili.
The Cabinet of ministers says that due to the threat of arranging a coup, the government should react properly and investigate the case.
Vice Prime Minister Kakha Kaladze said that nobody will be able to create unrest in the country.
“Over the last few days, some destructive forces are trying to bring tension in the country; I want to assure our population that nobody will be allowed to create unrest in Georgia,” he stated.
