The district court of Zugdidi found Badri Esebua, a bank robber guilty and sentenced him to 13 years in prison. The sentence was issued by Judge Ekaterina Bebia on June 23, 2023.
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Badri Esebua, who is convicted of committing a terrorist act, taking hostages, coercion, and illegal purchase, storage, and carrying of firearms, ammunition, and explosives, declares that he is innocent. At the court session, he claimed that on October 21, 2020, the day of the attack, he never left the village of Jikhashkari.
“On October 21, I was at home all day, I went out for an hour or two, but never left the village. I was going to leave for the city, got dressed, left the house, and was waiting for a minibus at the stop, which never arrived. Over half an hour had passed. At this point, a neighbor passed by, he was going to the cemetery and I followed him. We were there for about two hours and then went back to our houses,” said Esebua.
When asked who the neighbor whom he followed to the cemetery was, the defendant said that the person died in December 2020. Esebua did not reveal his identity.
Esebua explained that he fled because of the information provided by his friend: “I heard about this on October 23. A friend who is a policeman told me that my fellow villager came in and said that he knows with 70-80% certainty who the attacker was and named me. He warned me to be careful. My fellow villager, the police informant, said that he would help them catch the culprit if they appoint him to a position.” Esebua also did not disclose the identity of the “policeman friend.”
Badri Esebua was arrested on February 8, 2023, in the village of Jikhashkari, Zugdidi municipality. According to the prosecutor’s office, he was the masked intruder, armed with firearms and explosives, who broke into the Bank of Georgia branch located on Zviad Gamsakhurdia Avenue in Zugdidi on October 21, 2020, and took 43 people hostage. The perpetrator demanded 500 000 dollars and guaranteed to safely leave the area, otherwise, he threatened to kill the hostages. The negotiations lasted about seven hours. Late that night, the then-director of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Police Department, Avtandil Galdava, brought him the ransom money, after which the assailant left the bank building along with him and 3 hostages. As the hostages recount, he then ditched them in the forest in Kirtskhi village and disappeared with the money.
On December 12, 2020, the police detained Badri Esebua's brother, Bidzina Esebua. The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that they had information that he was in contact with his brother in hiding, and was going to hand over various items to him. According to the Ministry, the search of the detainee's car uncovered 2 hand grenades, cartridges for a rifle, a sleeping bag, food products, and some clothes. Bidzina Esebua was convicted of illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosive substances and devices, and in July 2021, was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
Badri Esebua himself was arrested in Jikhashkari on February 8, 2023, after which the prosecutor's office presented him with another charge - illegal purchase and storage of firearms and ammunition. The court found Esebua guilty on this count as well and sentenced him to 4 years in prison.
