Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of the Co-Investment Fund, declared during his trial that he had been abducted from abroad on the direct orders of Bidzina Ivanishvili and brought to Georgia using illegal methods.
“I am absolutely innocent of all the fabricated criminal charges against me. Today, I stand before you as Ivanishvili’s personal prisoner,” Bachiashvili stated in court.
He described his alleged abduction as an “international crime,” claiming he was blindfolded for two days and flown to Georgia without any legal basis, contact with a lawyer, or notification to relevant authorities.
“On May 24, I was kidnapped, blindfolded, and transported by an Airzena plane in gross violation of international law, including the European Convention on Human Rights. The Georgian authorities had no legal grounds to extradite me, as Interpol had already suspended my warrant due to its political nature. That’s why, acting on Ivanishvili’s instructions, they turned to bandit methods,” he said.
Bachiashvili called for a new investigation, not out of hope for justice under the current system, but to expose what he calls a state machinery executing criminal orders.
“This is the disgrace of our country. Everyone involved will be held accountable sooner or later. Tea Tsulukiani’s shows will look like nothing in comparison. I’m saying this so everyone hears it—especially my prosecutor,” he concluded.
