According to Georgian Minister of Justice Paata Salia, he can state “with confidence” that at Gldani Prison No. 8, defendant David Peikrishvili—who was admitted to the Vivamedi clinic with severe injuries and accused Vato Kipiani of assault—”was indeed not alone” in his detention cell.
On October 28, in an interview with the Rustavi 2 television channel, Salia stated that as soon as the public learned of the incident involving Peikrishvili through the media, the agency immediately launched an investigation—first conducted by the ministry’s General Inspection and subsequently, “based on certain testimonies,” by the Prosecutor’s Office. At the same time, in the interest of the investigation, the minister declined to disclose details regarding these testimonies.
“One thing I can confirm for you: Peikrishvili was indeed not alone in the cell. As for the rest—why these individuals were placed in his cell… [that must be established].”
When asked to clarify whether other individuals had been placed in the cell with Peikrishvili and whether Vato Kipiani was among them, Salia replied:
“That is for the investigation to determine: specifically the names and surnames of those individuals, who was there, how many people there were, why they were placed in that cell, who directed it, who oversaw it, who was informed, and so forth,” he stated.
As a reminder, twin crime figures David and Giorgi Peikrishvili were arrested on September 22, 2026. They were transferred to Penitentiary Institution No. 8 in Gldani.
On October 15, Vato and Shota Kipiani, along with Avtandil Bilanishvili (widely known as “Katsro”), who were detained on charges of group violence, were sent to the same prison after being remanded into pre-trial custody.
A longstanding rivalry exists between Vato Kipiani and the Peikrishvili brothers.
Nevertheless, according to David Peikrishvili’s attorney, on October 16 Vato Kipiani was placed in his cell and, along with accompanying individuals, beat him.
These reports were denied by both the Special Penitentiary Service and Kipiani himself. However, David Peikrishvili was taken to the Vivamedi clinic twice: on October 19 with four fractured ribs, facial bone fractures, and a head trauma, and on October 20 with an arm laceration (self-inflicted injury).
At that point, the investigative department of the Ministry of Justice’s General Inspection initiated a probe, and the case materials were subsequently transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office.
On October 26, the head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Giorgi Pataridze, submitted his resignation to Minister of Justice Paata Salia following a “recommendation” from the Prosecutor’s Office to step down from his post.