Expert from Zhvania’s case found dead
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, November 14
Another forensic expert from Georgia’s former Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania’s case, Mamuka Chikhaidze, was found dead at his home on November 10. Information concerning the issue was initially reported by Liberali.
Zhvania, one of the co-authors of the Rose Revolution and a member of the triumvirate, together with Mikheil Saakashvili and Nino Burjanadze, was found dead in a flat together with regional Deputy Governor Raul Yusupov on February 3, 2005. The Official version of the investigation under the previous government was carbon monoxide poisoning. However, family members of both individuals claim that the investigation and forensic outcomes were falsified and the people were murdered.
Three months after the fatal fact, forensic expert Levan Samkharauli was killed in Kvareli, Kakheti. According to the official version, the man suspected of killing Levan Samkharauli committed suicide several months ago.
As for forensic expert Levan Chachua, he was arrested March 20, 2014. He is accused of professional negligence.
The third expert was the above mentioned Mamuka Chkhaidze.
“The Interior Ministry’s detectives inspected the body of 54-year-old Mamuka Chkhaizde; According to them, there were not any suspicious circumstances and the investigation has not been opened,” a representative of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia told Liberali.
According to the Interior Ministry, “the expert died of natural causes; his family members don’t have any claim. Therefore, a post-mortem examination has not been carried out on the body of Chkhaizde”.
“We have no doubt that he died of natural causes; we don’t want his body to be examined,” Mamuka Chkhaizde’ nephew told Liberali.
Zhvania’s case is one of the well-known cases in Georgia that raise many questions.
Zhvania’s brother Gogla Zhvania states that the investigation is going ahead and the case will presumably be re-opened this year. The Chief Prosecutor’s Office planned to exhume the bodies to do more examinations and find out the truth.
