Shota Khizanishvili released in Georgia

Today, Shota Khizanishvili, the former Georgian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, sentenced in the case on wiretapping of the talks of the leaders from the "Georgian Dream" Party, has left the prison.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in June 2016, the verdict was pronounced against Shota Khizanishvili, Levan Kardava, the former director of the Department of Constitutional Security at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and his deputy Vazha Leluashvili. All of them were found guilty of abuse of office.

Today, Shota Khizanishvili has been released from custody, and his relatives and friends met him on the territory of the prison, the "Georgia Online" reports.

Shortly before the 2012 parliamentary elections won by the "Georgian Dream" Party, Beso Surmava, a bodyguard of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the coalition, provided Georgian TV Channels with secretly recorded phone conversations of the coalition members. After the elections, Beso Surmava claimed he was kidnapped and disseminated the records under pressure. Investigators found out that the records had been made by officers from the Georgian MIA's Department of Constitutional Security.

Let us remind you that in 2012, twelve former officials from the Georgian MIA were detained on suspicion of using a computer virus to wiretap conversations of politicians.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.