“When the agency’s employees were about to conduct a personal search of Nikusha Katsia, he became aggressive and tried to push the police officers away with hand movements. The officers seized a white substance as evidence, after which he calmed down,” said Nugzar Chitadze, the prosecutor in the drug-related case against Nikusha Katsia, during his final statement.
According to him, the court must assess the extent to which video recording or finding a neutral witness was feasible, as the prosecutor claims that Nikusha Katsia was aggressive during the search, and no one was moving around the area at the time.
Despite the absence of neutral evidence in the case, the prosecutor emphasized the reliability of the police officers’ testimonies.
“Nika Katsia illegally acquired and personally possessed cocaine, which was seized by the police. This is confirmed by the totality of evidence available in this case.
In court, Paata Mchedlishvili, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was questioned. He had received confidential information that Nika Katsia was a user of the narcotic substance cocaine and was in possession of it. He verified the reliability of this information.
The second witness, Emir Kiprava, questioned Paata Mchedlishvili. Afterward, he proceeded to conduct a search of the residence. According to him, when they arrived at the house, Nikusha Katsia’s mother was present in the apartment, but they could not open the door due to a damaged door handle. As they were unable to open the door for a long time, they turned back.
When the agency’s employees were about to conduct a personal search of Nikusha Katsia, he became aggressive and tried to push the police officers away with hand movements. They were forced to place Nikusha Katsia in the back seat of a vehicle, flanked by police officers on both sides. Despite his resistance in the car, the officers seized a white substance as evidence, after which he calmed down. Due to Nikusha Katsia’s aggressive behavior, video recording was not possible; they were holding him with one hand while searching him with the other. Additionally, there was no one moving around the area who could serve as a neutral witness to the process. Nevertheless, an employee knocked on one of the doors to find a neutral witness, but no one responded. Nikusha Katsia confirmed the search with his signature,” Nugzar Chitadze stated.
For information, the next court hearing is scheduled for August 26 at 3:00 PM, where the defense will have the opportunity to deliver its final statement.
For reference, Nikusha Katsia was charged under Part 6 of Article 260 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the illegal acquisition and possession of a large amount of narcotic substances.
This offense carries a penalty of 8 to 20 years of imprisonment or life imprisonment. Nikusha Katsia was arrested on December 7.
Prosecutor: When Nika Katsia was to be searched, he became aggressive and tried to push the police officers away; a white substance was seized as evidence, after which he calmed down – Katsia was in possession of cocaine
