Counterintelligence and border police heads dismissed due to Afgan Mukhtarli’s case

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia held a lengthy briefing today to present an interim report on the case of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli.

According to the minister, the head of the Border Police of Georgia and Director of the Counter Intelligence Department were dismissed due to Afgan Mukhtarli’s case.

“We, as the heads of the agency, are certain about the innocence of our employees, but the investigation has to check every version, as we’re dealing with the fact of illegal border crossing in unknown circumstances. Consequently, the relevant decision has been made”, – Mgebrishvili said

According to him, a bunch of investigative activities have been conducted in connection with the case – videos from 46 cameras have been extracted and studied. 343 witnesses have been questioned (mini-bus drivers, parking lot employees, taxi drivers, traders and private security personnel, etc). As much as 127 witnesses have been interrogated on Niagvara and Chonkadze streets (where Mukhtarli was supposedly kidnapped – JAMnews).

Mghebrishvili says that the only camcorder that captured Afgan Mukhtarli is installed on a state electro-systems object located at Nikoloz Barashvili Str. N 2. The recording shows a man in a white shirt, supposedly Mukhtarli, getting on N4 minibus.

Since that Muktarli hasn’t been captured by any other camera. The interrogated witnesses also don’t know anything about him. On May 29 nobody saw a fact of Mukhtarli being physically abused or kidnapped with a vehicle.

He further added that 61 employees of the Border Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were interrogated. They clarified that on May 29 there weren’t any incidents or suspicious facts at the border checkpoint in Lagodekhi, as well as at the borderline of Dedoplis Tskaro and Signagi districts.

The investigation also requested from Magticom a detailed list of the incoming and outgoing calls of Muktarli’s cell phone. However, no concrete traces have been found yet.

Georgia appealed to the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan to share the case details at their disposal with the Georgian side and subject Mukhtarli to detailed interrogation, and also requested being allowed to attend the interrogation. – said Mghebrishvili.