Bejan Chkadua and Revaz Pakeliani, accused of the murder and robbery of foreign citizen Viktor Solovyov in Mestia, do not admit guilt, according to their lawyer, Lasha Khoshtaria, in a statement to InterpressNews.
The lawyer explained that Chkadua is exercising his right to remain silent, while Pakeliani has provided testimony to investigators, discussing certain circumstances. However, neither defendant admits guilt regarding the charges.
Khoshtaria stated that there are numerous unanswered questions surrounding the case. The defense disputes the prosecution's claim that the accused attacked the victims—Viktor Solovyov and his female companion—with the intention of stealing a mobile phone.
The lawyer also acknowledged a version involving narcotics, stating that according to one defendant’s testimony, the victims may have been involved in drug dealing.
“The charges include murder, robbery, illegal detention, and illegal possession of firearms. It’s a wide range of charges. Chkadua is exercising his right to silence, and the second defendant denies the accusations. There are unresolved questions in this case; for example, it’s unlikely that such crimes would be committed over a mobile phone. We believe the court will reveal a very different picture,” said Khoshtaria.
According to the defense, Chkadua was not present at the scene when the alleged murder took place, as confirmed by the surviving victim’s testimony.
The lawyer further noted that the defendants claim no connection to the stolen mobile phones, and the surviving victim might have hidden the phone, later blaming the defendants.
Regarding allegations that the victims were drug dealers, Khoshtaria stated, “That version exists in the case. One of the defendants speaks about it, suggesting possible involvement in a drug network.”
When asked if the conflict started because of this, Khoshtaria responded, “The defendants say they did not initiate the conflict; it was Viktor Solovyov who did. I will refrain from providing further details at this stage, as we need to finalize our defense strategy.”
The incident occurred on January 5 in Mestia. According to the investigation, the suspects attacked two foreign nationals traveling from Zugdidi to Mestia, robbing them of their mobile phones. The prosecution claims that, to conceal the crime, the suspects killed one of the victims with a firearm and later forced the second victim to hand over mobile phones before fleeing the scene.
The suspects face charges under Articles 109 (premeditated murder under aggravated circumstances), 179 (robbery committed in a group), 143, and 236 (illegal acquisition, storage, and carrying of firearms) of the Georgian Criminal Code, which carry penalties ranging from 16 to 20 years or life imprisonment.
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