Mevlud Janjgava, a lawyer of Zura Popkhadze, an officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs detained in connection with the death of a young man in Varketili, says the accused has admitted to beating two persons.

Prior to the trial, the lawyer told reporters at the Tbilisi City Court that he had visited and talked to the detainee in the temporary detention isolator.

According to the lawyer, the accident occurred in a cemetery, where the accused was together with his friend. When the accused returned to his car after visiting a relative’s grave, he saw two persons sitting in the car and trying to hijack it, which led to a conflict and beating that ended fatally.

Pre-trial detention has been ordered for Zura Popkhadze. The judge also satisfied the motion of the prosecution and suspended the accused of duties.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia started an investigation on January 3, 2019.

Zura Popkhadze was arrested on January 5. As it was found out that the accused was an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the case was referred to the Investigation Unit of the Tbilisi Prosecutor's Office for further investigation on 6 January.

As of today, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia continues to obtain and investigate evidence.