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MoD Official Charged with Disclosure of State Secret

Irakli Batkuashvili, who has served as head of combat training directorate at the Georgian Ministry of Defense, has been charged with disclosure of state secret.

Batkuashvili, who was head of defense planning directorate, J-5, at MoD during the August war, was arrested on May 6.

Both the investigators and a defense lawyer have declined to reveal details of the case.

Charges have been brought under part one of article 320 of the Georgian criminal code involving “intentional or negligent disclosure of the state secret,” Batkuashvili’s defense lawyer, Onise Mebonia, told Civil.Ge on May 9.

Batkuashvili was Georgia’s military attaché to the mission in NATO till 2006.

Davit Sikharulidze, the Georgian defense minister, declined to comment details of the case and ongoing investigation citing that it was “not within my competence.”

“It is a very alarming fact for me,” he said in the Rustavi 2 TV’s weekly political talk show, Position, late on May 8. I think that as soon as the investigation is over, all the materials will be unveiled.”

There has been speculation in the press that Batkuashvili’s case could have been linked to the case of Vakhtang Maisaia. The latter has served as counselor at the Georgian mission in NATO in 2004-2008. He was arrested for espionage earlier this week.

Batkuashvili’s defense lawyer has declined to comment on possible links between these two cases.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)

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