Prosecutor’s Office Starts Investigating ‘Gakharia’s Letter’

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has started investigating the “threatening letter” Georgian businessman and TBC Bank founder Mamuka Khazaradze claims he received from the current Prime Minister, Giorgi Gakharia, at the end of 2018, which “contains threats and is aimed at blackmailing him”.

TBC Bank Founder submitted what he claims to be the original “threatening letter” to the Prosecutor’s office on October 21.

"The letter had been physically accessible to an indefinite number of individuals in various countries for months, making it difficult to conduct effective dactyloscopic or other examinations," the investigation agency reported.

"However, within the framework of the ongoing investigation, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia will thoroughly study the materials submitted by the applicants and will provide further information to the public on the results of the investigation,” reads the statement released by the Agency.

Previously, Khazaradze himself claimed that the examination of the letter conducted by British experts in London ended with serious results and expressed hope that the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia would launch an investigation into the case.

The Prosecution officially charged TBC Bank co-founders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze on July 24 for money laundering, having launched an investigation into the fact on 2 August 2018.

“The two are charged for the laundering of $16,754.000, as a result of which they received a large amount of income,” said the Prosecutor General's Office.

The Tbilisi City Court ordered 700,000 GEL bail for each of them on July 26.

"Co-founders of JSC TBC Bank paid the bail ordered on them by Tbilisi City Court – 700,000 GEL each," announced Khazaradze’s lawyer.

By Ana Dumbadze 

Related Story: Khazaradze’s Lawyer on Examination of 'Gakharia's Letter'