When we heard that the tractors were working and a new checkpoint was supposed to be built there, I contacted them and told them that it couldn’t be done. It could have escalated. We survived. We lost hundreds of hectares of forest, those people lost their pastures - this was the smallest threat that could follow, we could have faced war, we remember from history that the Samachablo war, the Abkhaz war, started like this, - former Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri told journalists after being questioned at the Prosecutor’s Office regarding the Chorchana episode.

In addition, Gomelauri explains, in general, how the decision to build a checkpoint is made.

"Gakharia was the minister for only a few years, I was the deputy minister since 2013, and the Special Tasks Department, which is on the front line, was included in my office. I was also a minister, then I moved to the Security Service. It didn't happen that the Minister of Internal Affairs would hear about some threat and would go and set up a checkpoint there. Such a thing is unacceptable. This could have really led to a big disaster. I think that it should not have been set up in any case, although be it Giorgi Gakharia, Vakhtang Gomelauri or whoever, he should have agreed it with the Security Service, then joint information, processed information, should have gone to the Prime Minister, then the EU Monitoring Mission should have been informed. This did not happen. In any case, it has not been agreed with me,” said Vakhtang Gomelauri.

As for what Giorgi Gakharia’s goal was when he built the checkpoint, Gomelauri says that he does not know and that Gakharia himself should say that.

When asked what he did after receiving information about this, Gomelauri says that he did what was within his authority as the head of the State Security Service.

“What could the Security Service do? Go and seize the tractors? I did what was within my authority. I cannot go into details. They will see what I did. If I am found guilty, I am ready to answer. I did what the head of the Security Service has the authority to do,” said Gomelauri.