Giorgi Bachiashvili Beaten in Jail

Giorgi Bachiashvili, the jailed former head of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Co-Investment Fund and one-time close associate, says he was beaten in prison in what he describes as a “coordinated activity between the prison administration and criminals.”

“My beating is linked to the illegal extortion of my property and intimidation,” wrote Bachiashvili in a July 14 letter, noting that the attack followed a threat from the prison chief.

Bachiashvili is serving an 11-year prison sentence after being convicted of embezzling a large sum of cryptocurrency from Bidzina Ivanishvili and laundering it. He was arrested in May following what he said was his abduction from abroad involving State Security Service head Anri Okhanashvili. The alleged abduction followed his escape from Georgia in March, when Bachiashvili cited “credible information” suggesting his life would be in danger if imprisoned.

His lawyer, Davit Jandieri, told RFE/RL’s Georgian Service that Bachiashvili has visible injuries on his face and hands, stitches on his head, and is now using a wheelchair following the July 11 beating in the Gldani penitentiary facility in Tbilisi. Zurab Chkhaidze, director of the Tbilisi Vivamedi clinic where Bachiashvili was treated, confirmed to the online outlet Publika that he sustained “various injuries to his head and body.”

The Special Penitentiary Service confirmed what it called an “incident,” describing it as a fight between Bachiashvili and another inmate and saying both sustained injuries. It dismissed as “defamatory” the media reports surrounding the case. The Service added that Bachiashvili was not held in a single-person cell, but in a four-person living cell with different cellmates at various times.

The Public Defender’s Office, whose representative met with Bachiashvili, said it has contacted the Prosecutor’s Office and the Special Penitentiary Service to request that relevant video footage be preserved.

Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, called Bachiashvili’s situation “alarming,” saying that “insecurity reigns in the country.”

Giorgi Bachiashvili’s Letter

In a July 14 letter, Giorgi Bachiashvili recounts that on July 8, just days before he was beaten in prison in Tbilisi’s Gldani penitentiary, the facility’s head, Davit Gogoberishvili, met with him.

“He advised me several times to open bank accounts, cryptocurrency platforms, and account addresses for Mr. Ivanishvili, as he was interested in how I managed to do all this technically,” Bachiashvili wrote. He added that he did not find it “feasible” to comply. According to him, the prison chief responded by saying Bachiashvili was “not in a position to raise demands” and that “all kinds of people, both ‘crazy’ and less ‘crazy,’” were in prison.

“The conversation had a friendly tone, and I did not deem it as a threat,” Bachiashvili added.

Three days later, on July 11, Bachiashvili says he was attacked in what he described as “the execution of the threat.” He wrote that an unidentified man — “tall, fit, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and sports shoes” — entered his cell, where Bachiashvili had been alone for a week. The cell had two surveillance cameras, which he claims were operating at all times.

The man did not introduce himself. “When I asked his identity, he responded aggressively that ‘He was the one asking questions here,’” Bachiashvili recalled, adding that the person “was let in for provocation.” Bachiashvili said he responded by saying that “the conversation would not take place in that manner.”

“After this, he started verbally abusing and swearing at me. I asked him to stop, after which he directly began beating me,” Bachiashvili wrote. “He punched me, wrestled with me, and bit my shoulder until it bled.”

He said the prison guard quietly opened the cell door but shut it again shortly after the man inside demanded it. According to Bachiashvili, the attacker then shattered glass over his head, knocking him unconscious.

“After I regained consciousness, the man continued the beating and tried to use the broken glass near my neck and face. He ended up cutting my right wrist and hitting me in the face with his right fist,” Bachiashvili said.

“He kicked my head several times against the wall. I kept asking him to calm down and let me go,” Bachiashvili wrote. “After several minutes, Archil [the guard] opened the door and asked the individual to leave the cell, and they left together. There was a puddle of blood in the cell. The walls were also covered in blood.”

Bachiashvili said he requested a meeting with the prison chief, who arrived about ten minutes later and took him to the prison surgeon. According to Bachiashvili, the prison head told him the attacker was another inmate who had been placed in his cell at his own request, and claimed he didn’t know a beating would occur. “But to me, everything was already clear, because it was the execution of the threat,” Bachiashvili wrote.

He said the prison surgeon treated his wounds, during which he briefly lost consciousness again. He added that his requests to call a lawyer and the Public Defender were denied.

Citing severe headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light, and a ripping sensation in his ears, Bachiashvili said he requested to be transferred to the Vivamedi clinic. He was eventually transferred around 9 p.m., he noted. He also asked the prison to call an emergency ambulance, but said the request was denied. At the clinic, Bachiashvili said the doctor warned him he would be returned to prison immediately if he refused treatment without making a call.

Bachiashvili said he was examined and treated at the Vivamed clinic, where he detailed injuries to his face and bruises on his throat, tailbone, and back. He reported ongoing headaches, nausea, and ringing in his ears. He requested to remain in the clinic and asked to make a phone call, but both requests were denied.

“The guards had their shoulder cameras on. They grabbed my hand and forcibly put me in their car,” Bachiashvili said. He was returned to prison and placed in a different cell around 3 a.m. About half an hour later, two female investigators arrived, asking him to remove his bloodstained clothes and give a testimony, which he refused without a lawyer present. His further requests to call a lawyer or the Public Defender were again denied.

On the morning of July 12, citing concussion symptoms, he refused breakfast and lunch and asked to be transferred back to the clinic. Around 4 p.m. that day, he was moved to another facility, Penitentiary No. 18, where he was allowed to call the Public Defender’s Office only after announcing a hunger strike.

Bachiashvili said video cameras in his cell were operational during the beating, and the footage should show the attack and the individual involved.

“I link my beating to the illegal extortion of my property and intimidation,” he wrote.

In his letter, Bachiashvili demanded to be placed in a single cell under video surveillance. He also said he met with a representative of the Ombudsman’s Office on July 12, asking for an investigation and response to the incident.

“This is the result of coordinated activity between the prison administration and criminals,” Bachiashvili said. “I declare that no matter how many criminals you send to my cell, or who carries out the violence, I will not break — and they will fail to intimidate me.”

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