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Opposition member questioned over ex-Pardon Commission head’s case

By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, December 21
An opposition United National Movement (UNM) representative, Irma Nadirashvili, has been questioned at the Interior Ministry main department over the recent stir related allegations of political pressure put on ex-Pardon Commission head Aleko Elisashvili.

Nadirashvili provided law enforcers with information according to which the State Security Service planned to assault the former head of Pardon Commission, Aleko Elisashvili, who has stated that when he chaired the Pardon Commission in 2013, some Georgian Dream (GD) coalition members exercised pressure on him to release certain inmates.

As Irma Nadirashvili has told reporters after questioning, she did not reveal the source of her information.

“I have named the person who heads the plan. He is the Deputy Head of State Security Service Gogashvili,” she remarked.

Commenting the issue, Elisashvili stated that he could not say whether Nadirashvili lied or not, but he said that some forces have tried to stick his name to the UNM.

“I will never be associated with the UNM,” Elisashvili said.

With regards to the alleged pressure on him, Elisashvili has just revealed that the phone number of the individual exercising pressure on him started with the numbers 591.

Elisashvili, who currently serves as an independent member of Tbilisi Sakrevulo, said that if the Prosecutor’s Office failed to announce the truth to public over the issue, he would name the individuals and release their messages written to him.

Elisashvili has already submitted his mobile phone to the Prosecutor’s Office which, according to him, included the messages demanding the release of prisoners from several GD members.

The Prosecutor’s Office stated that they could not find such messages in the phone's inbox.

Commenting on the statement, Elisashvili stated that the messages were on the hard disk of the mobile and appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office to refrain from making premature statements.

There also remains controversy over the issue on social networks. Many Facebook users urge Elisashvili to name the individuals if he is telling the truth and reveal his correspondence.