At the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation (Genprokuratura), Bulgaria has extradited Georgian citizen Khvicha Tskhakaya, who is accused of murdering a Russian national. According to information from the agency, he will face charges under paragraph “zh”, Part 2, Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy).
According to investigators, in May 2005, the accused, “harboring personal animosity toward an acquaintance arising from financial disputes,” conspired with an unidentified individual to murder him. Subsequently, while inside a vehicle, Tskhakaya and his accomplice inflicted at least 14 stab wounds on the victim, causing his death.
“Given that the accused fled from the preliminary investigation authorities, he was placed on an international wanted list at the direction of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office,” the Genprokuratura reported.
The extradition request for Tskhakaya was submitted following reports of his detention on Bulgarian territory. Ultimately, the competent authorities issued a decision to extradite the Georgian citizen to the Russian side.
In a video published by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Khvicha Tskhakaya says he was born in Zugdidi. When asked what he is accused of, the man responded: “I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD), Irina Volk, stated that Sofia had handed over a “citizen of the Russian Federation” to Moscow:
“Today at Sofia Airport, representatives of the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Bulgaria handed over a citizen of the Russian Federation to officers of the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) of Russia. He was on the international wanted list on murder charges,” Volk said.
According to her, the crime was committed in Moscow in 2005.