23:26, 15 February 2005

FBI experts consider Zhvania's death accident

According to preliminary data, the death of Zurab Zhvania was a tragic accident. FBI experts came to such a conclusion after in Tbilisi, they had studied investigation materials concerning the Georgian prime minister's death. FBI legal attache in Georgia Brian Parman told the Caucasian Knot correspondent about it. "By now we see no evidence to consider that certain forces were involved in Zhvania's death. We have no reasons to dispute the conclusions drawn by our Georgian colleagues," he said.

Mr Parman noted that 1,400 people died from carbon monoxide in the US last year. He also pointed out that the group of FBI agents who finished their work in Tbilisi specialized in poison gases as well as carbon monoxide. The FBI agents took away to the US samples from the flat in which Zhvania died. Results of the examination, which will be done in an FBI laboratory in the US, will be known in 3-4 weeks and submitted to the Georgian government.

Zurab Zhvania was found dead on February 3 in a rented flat in Tbilisi, where he was together with vice governor of the Kvemo-Kartli region Raul Yusupov.

Author: Svetlana Mkrtichan, CK correspondent