The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has charged a former head of a sports section in connection with the sexual abuse of a minor committed 26 years ago. According to the agency, at a Tbilisi school, the accused repeatedly engaged in “other acts of a sexual nature” involving a female pupil who was 8 to 9 years old at the time.
“The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has brought charges against one individual in a case concerning violent acts of a sexual nature (under the version of the law in force in 2000–2001).
The investigation conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs established that in 2000–2001, at a Tbilisi school, the accused, who was an instructor in a sports section, repeatedly engaged in other sexual contact with a pupil—a minor who was 8–9 years old at the time,” the agency said in a statement.
The suspect has been charged under subparagraph ‘e’ of Part 3 and Part 4 of Article 138 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (violent acts of a sexual nature committed through the abuse of official position against a person known to be under the age of fourteen), which carries a penalty of up to twenty years’ imprisonment.
The prosecutor’s office stated that it would file a motion with the court within the statutory deadline seeking pre-trial detention as a preventive measure for the accused.
Information regarding the alleged crime was initially disclosed by the human rights organization Sapari. According to the group, a young woman contacted them about a year ago: “All necessary investigative and procedural actions were carried out, fully corroborating the information provided by the victim.”
Sapari stressed that it was particularly alarming that until recently, the defendant had continued to have access to children and engaged in private teaching practice.
