TBILISI — 2006 · Murder
The Murder of Sandro Girgvliani
On the night of 27 January 2006, 28-year-old banker Sandro Girgvliani argued with senior Interior Ministry officials at a café in Tbilisi. The next morning his body was found near Okrokana on the outskirts of the city. The case grew into a major scandal that shook the Saakashvili government. In July 2006 four ministry officers received 7 to 8 years in prison for the killing, but their sentences were shortened in 2009 through pardons and reductions. In 2011 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the investigation had been ineffective. In 2018 former president Saakashvili was sentenced in absentia to three years for abuse of power in covering up the case.
- Date
- 2006
- Place
- Okrokana, Georgia, Tbilisi, GE
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 41.6680, 44.8450 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 27–28 January 2006After the café argument, Girgvliani was found dead near Okrokana.
- 6 July 2006Four Interior Ministry officers were sentenced to prison.
- September 2009The sentences were cut through a pardon and reductions.
- 2011The ECHR ruled the investigation had been ineffective.
- 5 January 2018Saakashvili was sentenced in absentia to three years.
Sources
- RFE/RL — The Girgvliani case rferl.org ↗
- Amnesty International — Georgia urged to implement ECHR ruling (2011) amnesty.org ↗
- JAMnews — Tbilisi court sentences Saakashvili to three years jam-news.net ↗
- Wikipedia — Sandro Girgvliani murder case en.wikipedia.org ↗
- RFE/RL
- Amnesty International
- JAMnews
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.