Ineffective investigation - the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the case of Merabishvili

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe criticizes the Georgian Dream for removing Vano Merabishvili from his cell and ineffective investigation into the episode of pressure on a prisoner.

The former Prime Minister publishes the list of 6-point remarks on the social network. The members of the Council of Ministers found that the term of pre-trial detention for Vano Merabishvili was unreasonable, and this period may have been used by the investigative agency to obtain the desired information from the former Prime Minister for further blackmail.

The Deputies 1. recalling that this case concerns a violation of Article 5 § 3 because of the absence of sufficiently reasoned judicial decisions for the continued pre-trial detention of the applicant, a former Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and also a violation of Article 18 taken in conjunction with Article 5 § 1, since the pre-trial detention during this continuing period was found to have been used by the Chief Public Prosecutor for the illegitimate purpose of pressuring the applicant into providing information on matters unrelated to the criminal case against him; As regards the investigation.

2. recalled their previous indications as to the criteria for an effective investigation with a view to establishing the identity and criminal liability of those responsible for all aspects of the Article 18 violation; According to Merabishvili's lawyer, Otar Kakhidze, the Council of Europe Committee demands that the culprit be identified and punished during the episode of Merabishvili being taken out of the cell. According to Kakhidze, the statement of the Council of Europe specifically refers to the then Chief Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze. Representatives of the "Georgian Dream" say that the concern of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has no grounds, and direct the media to the investigative agencies for comments.