Labourites urge Spanish authorities not to extradite Giorgobiani to Georgia

The Labour Party of Georgia calls on Spanish authorities not to extradite Bidzina Giorgobiani, the former head of the Forestry Department, to Georgia.

Kakha Dzaganiya, the ideological secretary of the Labour Party, said that Bidzina Giorgobiani, who was on vacations in Spain and was arrested there by local police, is persecuted by Georgian authorities.

"We reaffirm that he is persecuted by Georgian authorities, therefore we calls on the Spanish party not to give Giorgobiani out to Georgia, because his life and health will be endangered there," the "Georgia Online" quotes Mr Dzaganiya as saying.

Let us remind you that Bidzina Giorgobiani, who had been convicted in absentia for abuse of office powers, when in the position of the head of the Forestry Department, was put on the search list a few years ago under a red circular of the Interpol; however, Germany gave him political asylum.

The Conservative Party of Georgia also urged the authorities of Germany and Spain not to extradite Giorgobiani to Georgia, since his live in a Georgian prison, as party members assert, may be in jeopardy.

According to Lasha Chkhartishvili, the spokesman of the Conservative Party, the criminal persecution of Giorgobiani is illegal, and its only reason is political execution, the "News-Georgia" reports.

"The pretext for this execution is in the fact that Bidzina Giorgobiani opposed illegal activities of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Ivane (Vano) Merabishvili and Head of the Department of Constitutional Security Data Akhalaya who had been associated with forgery of documents on procurement and sale of timber," the Conservative Party asserts.

So far, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has not commented this information.