The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia announced on 11 October that they have added to the charges filed against Ioseb (Soso) Gogashvili, the former deputy head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), to include the intentional disclosure of state secrets and violation of privacy.
Gogashvili was arrested in a special operation on July 16 and later charged on July 18 by the Prosecutor’s Office with Articles 333, exceeding official powers, 157(4) obtaining, storing, and distributing personal data by using one’s official position, and 236(3) the illegal purchase and storage of firearms and ammunition, of the Criminal Code of Georgia. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the charges carry a prison sentence of four to seven years.In addition to the aforementioned previous charges, Gogashvili now faces the possibility of added time under Article 320, deliberate disclosure of state secrets, and Article 157(1), illegally obtaining and keeping secrets on private life, of the Criminal Code. The charges are punishable by four to seven years.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the additional charges come after their investigation established that Gogashvili had access to information containing state secrets, as well as personal data, which he illegally took out of the SSG building for personal purposes and kept in his residence. They further claim that Gogashvili then passed on the information taken from the SSG to another person, “thus intentionally disclosing state secrets.”
The investigation also found that Gogashvili illegally obtained video material depicting the private lives of a number of people, which he illegally stored on his electronic devices.
Timeline of Gogashvili Developments:
- 14/07/2022 – Media Coalition Urges Investigation of Alleged Mtavari Arkhi Surveillance
- 15/07/2022 – Public Defender Concerned Over Possible Media Surveillance
- 16/07/2022 – Former Deputy Head of State Security Service Arrested
- 18/07/2022 – Prosecutor Charges Former Deputy Head of State Security Service
- 21/07/2022 – CSOs Release Study Alleging Ruling Party Vote Bribery Scheme
- 27/07/2022 – Gogashvili Links Ivanishvili to ex-Deputy Interior Minister Assault, Mukhtarli Kidnapping
- 29/07/2022 – CSOs Urge Authorities to Protect Gogashvili’s Rights
- 01/08/2022 – Investigation Launched Into Gogashvili Documents Published by CSOs
- 11/08/2022 – Former SSG Deputy Head Alleges Ivanishvili Threatened His Family
- 19/08/2022 – Internal Affairs Minister Denies Gogashvili’s Accusations
- 24/08/2022 – Public Defender Addresses Alleged Threats Against Gogashvili
- 30/08/2022 – Justice Minister Addresses Malfunctioning Cameras in Rustavi Prison
- 13/09/2022 – Explainer | Whistleblower Alleges Security Services Collaboration with FSB
- 16/09/2022 – CSOs Urge Investigation Into Alleged Security Services Collaboration with FSB
- 16/09/2022 – Internal Affairs Minister Denies Security Services Collaboration with FSB
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