(Tbilisi, December 14, 2002. Civil Georgia) – Nika Laliashvili, Spokesman for the Georgian State Security Ministry said that Peter Shaw’s statement that Georgian Minister of Agriculture Davit Kirvalidze might be involved in his abduction “is groundless.” Davit Kirvalidze officially denied the accusation today.
“Peter Shaw’s statement is caused by his personal upset towards Davit Kirvalidze. Statement regarding Kirvalidze’s possible involvement in the abduction case is Mr. Shaw’s personal assumption and we have no reason to consider it as realistic,” Nika Laliashvili said.
Three representatives of the Georgian law enforcement agencies have recently visited Britain to interrogate Peter Shaw, retired manager of the Agro-Business Bank of Georgia, which was abduction from Tbilisi on June 18 and was held by the kidnappers for 141 days.
Member of the delegation Zaza Peradze of Interior Ministry told the reporters today that the law enforcers obtained important information as a result of the questioning of Peter Shaw.
Davit Kirvalidze calls the accusation “absurd,” although admits that the Ministry of Agriculture was not satisfied with the activity of the Agro-Business Bank.
The press release of the Agriculture Ministry reads: “the Ministry never had disagreements of a personal nature with the manager of the Agro-Business Bank [Peter Shaw]. But the Ministry of Agriculture and Food did criticize the activity of the Bank and its management.”
Peter Shaw, a retired manager of the Agro-Business Bank of Georgia, was working for the European Union’s Tacis programme, which organizes loans for the agricultural sector.
He had spent six years in Georgia and was to leave for Britain just the day after he was kidnapped.
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