At the Tbilisi City Court, in the case of Giorgi Akhobadze, a doctor detained on drug charges, Ia Ediberidze, an expert from the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau and a witness for the defense, was questioned.
News
Trending stories
- 1 NGOs: Ivanishvili-Kuprashvili Bureau Began Enforcing Russian Laws
- 2 Mzia Amaglobeli Fined a Second Time for Placing a Sticker
- 3 Polish PM is ‘working with EU countries to revoke Georgia's visa-free travel’
- 4 Mate Devidze Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Jail
- 5 22-Year-Old Georgian Fighter Demetre Darchia Killed in Russia-Ukraine War
- 6 Gomelauri on Chorchana Checkpoint: We were informed post-factum. It was not coordinated.
Giorgi Akhobadze denies the charges against him, claiming that the drugs were "planted" on him. According to Akhobadze, police officers forcibly took a saliva sample from his mouth during his arrest to create evidence, transferring it to the drug packaging material. The defense requested an expert examination to identify the biological material.
"During today's hearing, we examined the defense's evidence, specifically by questioning the expert regarding the results of the examination we commissioned. The expert confirmed that saliva was transferred to the packaging material.
This is a crucial circumstance because Giorgi claims that at the moment of his arrest, a saliva sample was forcibly taken from his mouth by a gloved hand to transfer his DNA trace to the packaging material. The expert confirmed that saliva was found on the packaging material, and this circumstance strengthens our position that he had no contact with the drugs. The expert has turned the prosecution's arguments upside down," stated Mariam Madzgharashvili, Akhobadze's lawyer.
When asked by Giorgi Akhobadze how biological material could end up on various surfaces, the expert replied: "Generally, expertise is not conducted on how biological material, in this case saliva, ended up on the surface of the examined object [the polyethylene wrapping the drug]. However, it is generally possible to artificially transfer biological material to a surface using an object with biological material, such as a stick or a rubber glove."
The next court hearing is scheduled for July 16, when the accused, Giorgi Akhobadze, will be questioned, followed by the prosecution's closing arguments. The defense will present its closing arguments at the hearing set for July 22. It's also possible that Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili could announce the verdict during that same session.
Giorgi Akhobadze was arrested on December 7 while returning home from a protest rally on Rustaveli Avenue. The Prosecutor's Office charged him under Article 260, Part 6 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the illegal acquisition and possession of large quantities of narcotic substances. This offense carries a penalty of 8 to 20 years or life imprisonment.
