Vigilante justice in Tbilisi?
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, May 6
Davit Kodua, a businessman and brother of former head of the Constitutional Security Department of the Georgia’s Interior Ministry, Erekle Kodua, who is currently wanted, was beaten in the Vake district on May 3. Businessman Noshrevan Namoradze who surrendered to police, has been detained. He is accused of inflicting less-than grave body injures to a person. Namoradze said that his motivation was revenge. However, Giorgi Kodua, another brother of Davit Kodua says in accord with eyewitness accounts that his brother was attacked by three or four masked men and was severely beaten.
According to doctors, the patient’s current condition is stable. Kodua has various bruises and fractures. He is on managed respiration.
Through the testimony given to law-enforcers Namoradze states that he was alone and met Kodua by chance. Namoradze said in 2008 Davit Kodua and his brother Erekle Kodua planned how to grab the property from him as he was the founder of the Tiflis Development Company.
“They planned to detain me and planted drugs in my house in order to have a reason for my detention. They made me to pay 500,000 lari and forced me to give away 50 percent of my shares registered in my name. They planted drugs while my little child was home. I told them that I would not forgive the action. Prior to the beating, I met Davit Kodua and told him to give my property back, he ignored me, and the action committed by me was the response of their activities,” Namoradze stated.
Giorgi Kodua does not believe this version is true. Expressing mistrust towards the Interior Ministry, he said Namoradze would not be able to beat his brother nearly to death alone. He reiterates that there were at least three individuals equipped with tazers.
Lawyer of Namoradze, Lili Gelashvili, states that her client should have been released on bail, especially when he surrendered and pleaded guilty.
Relative of the victim, journalist Nanuka Zhorzholiani stated that the charge does not reflect the crime.
Member of the minority United National Movement, Givi Targamadze, warns that if the crime is not appropriately investigated, there will be suspicions that the process was managed by the Georgian Dream in order to blackmail Erekle Kodua to give testimonies against former state officials.
“I have stated many times that if the government does not start restoring justice, people will start to restore it on their own,” head of the Elections and Political Technologies Research Centre, Kakha Kakhishvili said, stressing that Namoradze’s example revealed the truth of his words.
An official investigation is underway.
