Five Former Top Police Officials Found Guilty for Notorious Murder Case in 2004
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, December 19
Five former top officials have been declared guilty by Tbilisi City Court on Tuesday for the high profile murder case of Buta Robakidze in 2004, under the United National Movement leadership.
Trials on the case were renewed under the Georgian Dream Leadership in 2013 and the court delivered its verdict after five years.
Five former officials were charged for exceeding official powers in the case, while only one admitted to the crime this year.
The announcement of the verdict was followed by noise, as the relatives of those former officials who do not admit to the crime confronted the relatives of the former head of criminal police Zaza Bakradze, who recognized the guilt.
The family of Buta Robakidze applauded the verdict.
“The verdict is objective. I am grateful to the prosecutor's office and the judge”, - Soso Robakidze, father of Buta Robakidze, said at the City Court.
"These villains must go to jail and be in prison. I am grateful to the prosecutors and the judge who delivered an objective verdict," said Soso Robakidze.
Former senior officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who have been sent to prison for five years and three months are Irakli Pirtskhalava, Guram Donadze, Zura Mikadze and Davit Iashvili, while Bakradze was offered a plea bargain and was sentenced to four years and six months of parole and a 5,000 GEL fine as he cooperated with law enforcers.
Robakidze, who was 19 years old in 2004, was shot and later died, while the other four survived but were charged with illegal possession of a weapon and ammunition. The detainees claimed the weapon had been placed in their car by police after they discovered Robakidze had died.
The Prosecutor’s Office under the Georgian Dream leadership claimed that the police planted weapons in the car of youngsters to recover the murder of Robakidze.
Bakradze confirmed the allegations of the Prosecutor’s Office.
