Georgian defense minister rates General Roman Dumbadze's actions as high treason

Georgia's Defense Minister Gela Bezhuashvili assesses the actions of the commander of the 25th motorized rifle brigade of the Defense Ministry in Batumi, Brigadier General Roman Dumbadze, as "betrayal of the Motherland." "The statement by General Dumbadze that he does not obey Supreme Commander-in-Chief Mikhail Saakashvili [the president of Georgia] and comes under command of the head of the Adjarian Autonomy, Aslan Abashidze, is nothing else but betrayal of the Motherland and the oath taken," Gela Bezhuashvili said to the Rustavi-2 TV company.

"I do not understand what material interest made Roman Dumbadze come out of command of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. We do not rule it out that he may have been pressured and even blackmailed," the Georgian Defense Minister said.

He claimed that he "controls the situation in the brigade as much as this is possible", though immediately made a reservation and said that "not all personnel of the brigade is in sympathy with Roman Dumbadze, and even some officers left Batumi and returned to Tbilisi." "I want to call upon the servicemen of the 25th brigade not to become an instrument in the hands of the bandit forces in Adjaria," Gela Bezhuashvili said.

On Monday, April 19, ex-chief of the 25th motorized rifle brigade of Georgia's Defense Ministry in Batumi Roman Dumbadze refused to vacate the office for new chief of the brigade Viktor Mikeladze appointed last week.

"I do not recognize the charges voiced by president Mikhail Saakashvili against me, and from today do not obey the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. According to Adjaria's Constitution, Aslan Abashidze is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and I together with 547 servicemen of the 25th brigade come under Abashidze's command," Roman Dumbadze said.

The Georgian Prosecutor General's Office filed a criminal case against Roman Dumbadze under the articles "illegal arms trade", "insubordination to military command", "non-sanctioned taking of arms" out of the territory of the brigade, and "financial machinations."

Editors note: See also the article "Georgian defense ministry loses control of Batumi brigade".