Georgia links ex-president to 2016 assassination attempt on opposition leader

The Georgian Prosecutor General's Office has uncovered ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili's involvement in the 2016 assassination attempt on opposition party member Givi Targamadze from the "United National Movement".

David Khechuaashvili was arrested in September 2024; he had been convicted in absentia and was wanted for organising the attack on Targamadze. The detainee revealed that in 2016, he met with Shota Chichiaashvili, who relayed Saakashvili's orders to him, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Chichiaashvili stated that Saakashvili harbored distrust towards Targamadze, suspecting him of collaborating with the then-government before the 2016 elections. Consequently, Saakashvili tasked Chichiaashvili with monitoring and surveilling Targamadze.

The prosecutor's office said that on October 4, 2016, while monitoring Taragamadze, Khechuaashvili noticed him entering the office of the "United National Movement" party in central Tbilisi and informed Chichiaashvili by phone.

After some time, Khechuaashvili reported that Taragamadze had left the office and got into his car, which subsequently exploded. Following the incident, Khechuaashvili illegally fled to Türkiye, bypassing border checkpoints. On October 4, 2016, several days before the parliamentary elections, an explosion occurred in the moving vehicle of Taragamadze in a central district of Tbilisi. 

The blast injured five people, including Taragamadze himself. Subsequently, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Boris Chagunava, who was charged with the illegal possession of weapons and explosives in his garage intended for Khechuaashvili. In February 2017, Chagunava received a suspended sentence of four years and was released. During Saakashvili's presidency, Khechuaashvili worked in the Interior Ministry's Constitutional Security Department.  

By Naila Huseynova