We would like to provide the public with additional information regarding the ongoing investigation into the criminal case initiated against Giorgi Bachiashvili.
As a result of the complex operational measures and investigative actions carried out by the employees of the Central Criminal Police Department, detained previously convicted Sh.K. (DoB 1977) for providing assistance in the illegal crossing of the Georgian state border.
The investigation into the ongoing criminal case established that on December 2024, Sh.K. was contacted by his friend - D.G. and as his trusted person, offered to resolve a certain issue, in exchange for which he would receive the appropriate amount of cash.
Sh.K. accepted the offer and in the second half of December 2024, he was contacted by Giorgi Bachiashvili’s father - Aleksandre Bachiashvili, on behalf of his friend - D.G., who asked him to come to a specific address, where he met Giorgi Bachiashvili.
The investigation also establishes that in exchange for certain financial benefits, Giorgi Bachiashvili offered the aforementioned person to covertly smuggle one person through Georgian border. An agreement was reached between Sh.K. and Giorgi Bachiashvili.
At the first stage, Giorgi Bachiashvili provided Sh.K. with a Google satellite phone and asked him to communicate with him only through the aforementioned device. He also gave him certain amount of cash intended for the purchase of a car and instructed him to purchase a dark-colored Toyota Camry.
According to Bachiashvili’s instructions, the person performing the task was to cross the Georgian-Armenian state border several times at different times of the day and night and provide detailed information about the situation there.
Bachiashvili also asked him to install video recorders on the front and rear windshields of the car, the recordings of which were decoded personally by him in order to study the situation on the border.
The investigation establishes that Bachiashvili asked Sh.K. to leave the car for him at a specific address for several days, which he used to arrange a special hiding place. After that, Bachiashvili revealed to Sh.K. that he was to cross the state border secretly.
According to a pre-developed plan, on March 2 of the current year, Giorgi Bachiashvili and Sh.K. headed towards the Georgian-Armenian state border.
The investigation revealed that near Sadakhlo checkpoint, Giorgi Bachiashvili was placed in a pre-arranged hiding place between the back seat and the trunk of the vehicle.
Sh.K. arrived at Sadakhlo checkpoint in his own vehicle, went through the relevant passport control procedures, including border guards checking the person’s documents and a visual inspection of the vehicle.
After completing the mentioned procedures, they headed towards the Armenian border to the direction of the Armenian border checkpoint, Giorgi Bachiashvili got out of the vehicle and presented another passport issued in his name confirming the citizenship of the Russian Federation, as a result of which he crossed the state border of Armenia.
The investigation revealed that after arriving at Yerevan International Airport, Giorgi Bachiashvili demanded that Sh.K. return the telephone device through which they had been communicating, gave him the promised money and advised him to leave the country for safety reasons.
Based on the operational information obtained by law enforcement officers, relevant investigative actions were carried out, as a result of which on March 5 of the current year, Sh.K. was detained while trying to leave the country through Sarpi, where he was stopped for the purpose of conducting investigative actions, after which he was arrested.
Within the frames of the ongoing investigation, the police interviewed a number of persons who may have some information regarding the ongoing case. Herewith, due to urgent necessity, personal search and search activities were conducted in detainee’s residential premises. The police seized the vehicle in which Giorgi Bachiashvili and the accused person were traveling.
As a result of the search, law enforcement officers also seized computer equipment, mobile phones, 3,800 USD, 525 GEL and 66,000 Armenian drams.
The investigation is being conducted under Articles 344 and 25-344 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
