Interior Ministry Reports on Teen Murder Investigation

The Head of the Central Criminal Police Department of the Interior Ministry, Vladimer Bortsvadze, said the Ministry had reopened the probe into the teen murder case to establish “additional circumstances that have emerged during court proceedings.”

Speaking at a special press briefing today, a day after Tbilisi City Court delivered a controversial ruling over the murder case, Bortsvadze said the purpose of the investigation was to “identify individuals who systematically and covertly attempted to damage facts and influence the court ruling through financial or other means.”

“There is a reasonable suspicion that through such actions they attempted to tear down the investigation’s version and attempted to release certain persons from being held accountable,” Bortsvadze noted, adding that the Interior Ministry had already questioned several persons over the matter.

The decision to transfer the investigation from the Prosecutor’s Office to the Interior Ministry was announced by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili in his late-night press briefing yesterday.

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