Justice Minister urges patience in Davit Peikrishvili case, promising details will emerge shortly

“Further details regarding the Davit Peikrishvili case will be made public in due course,” Minister of Justice Paata Salia has confirmed, refraining from broader commentary to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

Journalists pressed Salia on why CCTV cameras were missing from the cell Peikrishvili was moved to. In response, the minister maintained that investigators are working to establish the full facts of the transfer.

“Why he was transferred, whether cameras were present, and so forth—the investigation will determine every single detail. As soon as allegations surfaced in the media, the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice launched an inquiry, despite an initial statement from the Special Penitentiary Service suggesting nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. This clearly demonstrates that we deemed it necessary to verify the information independently. As for what the investigation uncovered, first within our department and subsequently after the Prosecutor’s Office assumed control, I am confident the facts will come to light very shortly,” Salia said.

The Justice Minister explained that once reports implicated the leadership of the Special Penitentiary Service, the case was promptly transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office to ensure complete impartiality.

“Following our immediate response, as soon as allegations emerged suggesting the Head of the Special Penitentiary Service might be implicated in any capacity, the file was handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office. We took this decision to avoid any perception of bias that might arise from investigating a high-ranking official within our own department.

We transferred the case just two or three days into our inquiry, specifically because allegations had been made against the head of the service. Following a recommendation from the Prosecutor’s Office, Giorgi Pataridze himself decided to step down from his post. I believe there should be no remaining doubts on that score,” Salia concluded.