According to the State Security Service, Levan Khabeishvili, one of the leaders of the “United National Movement,” has been arrested for publicly promising monetary bribes to officials.
A briefing was held at the SSG, where it was stated that “all the elements of a crime under Article 339, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia are evident in Levan Khabeishvili’s actions. He was arrested as a suspect based on a court order. The offense carries a sentence of 4 to 7 years of imprisonment.
The case concerns the public promise of monetary bribes to officials. Specifically, Levan Khabeishvili, a representative of a political party, publicly — on television and social media — called on law enforcement officers, promising to pay bribes if officers of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs refused to perform their duties during anti-government protests, or if they failed to use legally authorized special measures. For those who carried out such actions, Khabeishvili publicly promised a payment of USD 200,000.
In addition, Khabeishvili publicly promised USD 200,000 in bribes to police officers who would provide various information and confidential materials related to official activities. He also promised this sum to officers of the Special Tasks Department in exchange for refusing training and exercises.
Khabeishvili publicly stated that paying the promised amounts to police officers was appropriate, as any method should be used to change the government.
Since Khabeishvili’s actions were continuous and systematic, and meet all the elements of the crime under Article 339, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, he was arrested as a suspect based on a court order. The offense carries a sentence of 4 to 7 years of imprisonment.
During Khabeishvili’s arrest, Murtaz Zodelava was also detained. Khabeishvili handed his mobile phone to Zodelava at the moment of arrest. Zodelava attempted to escape in order to hide the phone, during which he physically resisted Anti-Corruption Agency officers and used force against one of them. His actions are qualified under Article 353 of the Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of 2 to 5 years of imprisonment.
The State Security Service will actively and as a priority continue operational and investigative actions to detect and prevent crimes aimed against the Georgian state and those of a corrupt nature,” the statement said.
According to the State Security Service, Levan Khabeishvili was arrested for publicly promising to bribe police officers
