
Opposition Figure’s Son Charged with Hooliganism
The Interior Ministry said it had brought criminal charges against Rati Milorava, the 15-year-old son of Eka Beselia of the Movement for United Georgia – part of the opposition coalition.
The Ministry said that Milorava had been charged with hooliganism following an incident in which a supermarket security guard had sustained “bodily injury with a knife.” The alleged incident, the Ministry said, occurred on March 1, 2008.
Beselia, who is a lawyer, has denied the allegation against her son, saying it was “political pressure exerted by the authorities” and “political reprisal.” Milorava himself told journalists after interrogation in the Interior Ministry on June 30 that he had had only a minor argument with the security guard, but nothing serious, “not even a fist-fight.”
Irakli Abashidze, an Interior Ministry official, , however, said the case had nothing to do with politics. “This is a criminal case and it has no political background and political statements will not influence the investigation. The case will be investigated in full accordance to the law,” he said.
Later on the same day court in Tbilisi ordered to release Rati Milorava on GEL 2,000 bail.
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