Raul Khajimba, Moscow-backed leader of occupied Abkhazia, who was re-elected in September, dismissed “interior minister” Gari Arshba and “chief prosecutor” Zurab Achba, as well as their first deputies on December 2.
The decision comes after two men, allegedly criminal authorities – Astamur Shamba and Alkhas Avidzba died and three more injured during the incident that took place in one of the restaurants of Sokhumi on November 22.
Khajimba demanded to immediately solve these and other crimes committed in November and detain the perpetrators at the “security council” meeting held on the same day, but his demands yielded no results.
On December 2, relatives of the victims gathered at a rally in Sokhumi, demanding resignation of the Interior Minister. Part of them accused the minister of plotting the murder and covering up the perpetrators, but the latter denied the accusations.
During the meeting with senior law enforcers held amid protests in Sokhumi and attended by “vice president” Aslan Bartsits, “parliament speaker” Valeri Kvarchia and “prime minister” Valeri Bganba, Khajimba said he had to dismiss Arshba and Achba, because no results had been achieved in connection with the November incident.
On the same day, Khajimba appointed one of the deputy interior ministers, Levan Kvaratskhelia, as acting “interior minister.” The name of the new “prosecutor general” who should be approved by the occupied region’s “parliament” is not known so far.
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