Bacho Akhalaia, who held various senior posts in government since 2005 up until he had to resign from interior minister's post following the prison abuse scandal in September, has been summoned by the chief prosecutor’s office “for questioning as a witness” into yet unspecified case of alleged abuse of office. “Investigation is ongoing into the case of abuse of public office,” Archil Kbilashvili, new chief prosecutor said on Tuesday evening, adding that Akhalaia has to appear for questioning at 8:30pm local time on November 6. He said that the case was related to “improper treatment of certain individuals”. “Concrete details into this case require verification and for that reason Mr. Akhalaia is summoned as a witness,” Kbilashvili said, but declined to provide more details of the case. Akhalaia, who reportedly left Georgia after the parliamentary elections, announced on November 5 that he returned back to the country and was ready to answer all the questions about “absurd” and “idiotic” allegations voiced against him. Akhalaia, who was prison system chief in 2005-2008 before becoming Defense Minister, was appointed as Interior Minister in July, 2012. After the shocking videos of prisoners’ torture emerged less than two weeks before the October 1 parliamentary elections, Akhalaia was one of the targets of public anger because of persisting allegations that at the time he was informally still overseeing prison system. Akhalaia, however, says it is one of many “absurd” allegations voiced against him. |
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