Georgian Prosecutor's Office resumes inquiry into death of Zurab Zhvaniya, his brother asserts

The Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia reopened the investigation into the death of Zurab Zhvaniya, ex-Prime Minister, which occurred in February 2005. This was reported today by his brother Georgy Zhvaniya.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported that on February 3, 2005, Zurab Zhvaniya and Raul Yusupov, Deputy Governor of the Kvemo Kartli Region, were found dead in an apartment in the centre of Tbilisi. The official cause of the deaths of both men is poisoning with natural gas, which was leaking out of incorrectly installed heating system. The brother of Zurab Zhvaniya accused Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili of involvement in the staging of accidental death of the Prime Minister.

"The only thing I can say is that many officials will be questioned. I have repeatedly said that the official version that Zurab Zhvaniya perished in an accident is absolutely false," the IA "News-Georgia" quotes Georgy Zhvaniya as saying.

He has also said that late at night on November 26, he visited the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia "to get acquainted with the materials available on the case at the Prosecutor's Office." "In my turn, I also presented my materials to representatives of the Chief Prosecutor's Office. We started active cooperation," Georgy Zhvaniya has explained.

The brother of Zurab Zhvaniya has emphasized that "the process of investigation had entered the active phase, and the case involves some individuals, and some individuals will be questioned," the "ITAR-TASS" reports.