At his trial, Giorgi Bachiashvili, former head of the Co-Investment Fund, claimed he was kidnapped and brought to Georgia on the orders of Bidzina Ivanishvili.
“I was abducted from abroad on Saturday, May 24, blindfolded for two days, and transported without any legal notification to my lawyer, prosecutor, judge, or family,” Bachiashvili said. “I was then put on an Airzena plane and illegally brought to Georgia. This was a criminal operation with international dimensions.”
He accused Georgian authorities of acting like “bandits” under Ivanishvili’s direction, stating: “I am absolutely innocent in the criminal cases against me. It’s clear I am Ivanishvili’s personal prisoner in Georgia.”
Related story: Former government fund chief Giorgi Bachiashvili arrested