If we look at the big picture, we can see that the Ministry of Defense has not only created an uncompetitive environment, but also a biased one. The Ministry of Defense has paid much more [in procurement] than it should have paid, - Aleko Arabuli, an investigator of the State Security Service, said at the trial of Juansher Burchuladze and other defendants.

Aleko Arabuli is the lead investigator in the case of former Minister of Defense Juansher Burchuladze, Giorgi Khaindrava, Vladimer Ghudushauri and Vasil Mkheidze. He is currently testifying in court.

He spoke in detail about the contracts that Vladimer were signed by the Ministry of Defense.

According to the investigator, the Ministry of Defense purchased an MRI machine for the Gori Military Hospital. According to Arabuli, questions have also arisen about other procurements within the framework of the investigation into this matter. According to the investigator, the Ministry of Defense suffered a loss of 7 million on the basis of the 3 contracts implemented, and the persons involved in this were identified.

The witness was asked a question by Juansher Burchuladze. The former high-ranking official asked him whether he agreed that the Ministry had created a non-competitive environment, to which the investigator gave a positive answer. In response to this, Burchuladze asked him again what he meant specifically.

“A number of documents are presented in the case. If we look at the broad picture, we will be convinced that the Ministry of Defense not only created a non-competitive environment, but also created a biased environment and the Ministry of Defense paid much more than it should have paid... You are talking about one document and this is not the only thing we are talking about, we are talking about three documents. The expert tells us that the Ministry of Defense could have paid 12 million in 3 contracts, not 19,” said investigator Arabuli.

As for assigning the status of “secret procurement” to the purchases, the investigator said, “this was a method of committing a crime.”

Burchuladze also asked him a question about the declaration.

“We received information that real estate was registered in the name of a member of your family,” the investigator told him.

“I was not obliged to indicate it in the declaration, because it was not registered in my name. The law states that the contract was concluded during the reporting period and we did not pay for it during the reporting period,” Burchuladze replied, which was followed by an explanation from the investigator.

“Your family had more expenses than income, this is the conclusion of the audit....”