Interior Ministry Officials Arrested over High-Profile Murder Case

Four officers from the Department of Constitutional Security of the Interior Ministry were arrested on suspicion of killing Sandro Girgvliani, Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said at a news conference on March 6.

“Gia Alania… Avtandil Aptsiauri, Aleksandre Gachava and Mikheil Bibiluri – we have evidence proving that they have committed this crime. They are now being interrogated,” Merabishvili said without specifying what the motive behind this murder was.
 
The death of 28-year-old Sandro Girgvliani, head of the United Georgian Bank’s international relations department, became a high-profile murder case after a televised report indicated that several top-level officials from the Interior Ministry, as well as the wife of Vano Merabishvili, could have links to the case. But the names of those who were arrested on March 6 were not mentioned in the televised report, aired by the Imedi television on February 12.
 
“Investigation into this case was a matter of my personal prestige and the prestige of the Interior Ministry,” Merabishvili said.
 
He also said that the General Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating the case.

“We had information that the criminals were employees of the [Interior Ministry]… That is why we were very careful and were refraining from unveiling the details of the investigation,” Merabishvili added.