GEORGIAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL ADMITTED POSSIBILITY OF DETAINING EX-PRESIDENT SHEVARDNADZE

Prosecutor General of Georgia Irakli Okruashvili does not rule out the possibility of detaining ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze. As reported by Georgian sources, the statement was made due to the starting of the interrogation of former minister of transport and communication Merab Adeishvili, who was detained on accusation of official position abuse and financial misappropriation. According to the data of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the volume of embezzlements with participation of the former minister, discharged at the end of this January, makes $6 million. Answering the question “Whether the questioning of Adeishvili will let bring to light senior officials, who also participated in the affair?” the Prosecutor General noted: “There was only Eduard Shevardnadze superior to Adeishvili.” Being asked: “Do you have grounds and chances to detain Shevardnadze,” he said: “Nothing is ruled out.” Former minister of fuel and energy David Mirtskhulava, former director general of the Georgian Railway Akaky Chkhaidze and a number of other high rank officials, considered to be “persons close to Shevardnadze” are already detained by the law-enforcement bodies of Georgia on indictment in wheeler-dealer finance. As lately stated by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, “Shevardnadze has in fact created his family clan, which held monopoly for oil product import, controlled the country port, mobile telephone communication company.” “The one, who was directly involved in corruption, will be called to account according to the law,” the President said. It should be reminded, before assuming the office of the President Saakashvili pledged to “guarantee immunity to Eduard Shevardnadze.”