Giorgi Pataridze, the head of Georgia’s Special Penitentiary Service, has submitted his resignation to Minister of Justice Paata Salia.
“Mr. Paata, I ask to be relieved of my post,” read the statement, the contents of which were published by the IPN news agency.
Earlier that same day, on October 26, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia issued a “recommendation” to the Penitentiary Service’s oversight authority—the Ministry of Justice—calling for Pataridze’s suspension. The case involves the alleged prison beating of underworld figure David Peikrishvili.
The inmate was transferred to the Vivamedi clinic on October 20. The day before, on October 19, he had also been taken to the medical facility, though he was discharged shortly thereafter. David Peikrishvili’s lawyer, Paata Gogiashvili, stated that his client had suffered fractured ribs, facial bone fractures, and a head injury.
It was noted that his client’s bodily injuries were inflicted in a prison cell by several individuals, including other underworld figures, Vato Kipiani and Avtandil Bilanishvili (known by the alias “Katsro”). The defense attorney also noted that David’s twin brother, Giorgi Peikrishvili, had slit his wrists to draw attention to what was occurring.
The Penitentiary Service denied the beating until the overnight hours of October 20, when the Ministry of Justice released a statement announcing that “based on information publicly circulated in the media, an investigation has been launched into the infliction of bodily harm on inmate David Peikrishvili.”
Twin brothers David and Giorgi Peikrishvili, whose names have been tied to a series of criminal feuds, were initially detained on September 22 under two separate criminal cases involving charges of group violence and extortion. However, on October 2, it emerged that a new case had been opened against the detained brothers, accusing them of laundering 10 million lari.
As for Vato Kipiani and Avto Bilanishvili (“Katsro”), who are also known in criminal circles as underworld authorities, they were arrested on October 15 in connection with a restaurant brawl.
According to the lawyer’s account, Bilanishvili and Kipiani, along with other individuals, were placed into the exact cell where David Peikrishvili was being held.
All of the aforementioned inmates are currently being held at Gldani Prison No. 8 (Penitentiary Establishment No. 8 in Tbilisi).
Notably, Vato Kipiani had previously faced charges for plotting the assassination of the Peikrishvili brothers. In 2020, the State Security Service of Georgia disclosed that a joint operation with the Security Service of Ukraine had thwarted an attempt on the Peikrishvili brothers’ lives. According to prosecutors, the hit was orchestrated by underworld boss Vato Kipiani, who was residing in Ukraine at the time. Kipiani was detained in connection with that case in 2021 after being deported from Ukraine to Georgia. However, according to Kipiani’s lawyer, he was released after spending nine months in custody when the court found his guilt in the attempted assassination of the Peikrishvilis unproven.
