Zaza Sopromadze, Georgian Parliamentary ex-speaker Nino Burjanadze’s team member and former head of Unified state fund of social insurance was being interrogated was 16 hours. For quite some time his family knew nothing about his whereabouts – he was taken for questioning early in the morning. We requested Zaza Sopromadze who was set free after long interrogation to answer several questions:

Z.S. – The door bell rang at 4 o’clock a.m. and somebody asked me to open the door as something was happening in the entrance. When I opened the door they showed me their IDs, come into my flat and asked me to follow them. I obeyed. I have to confess that there is nothing pleasant when this many people come at dawn and talk to you in presence of the family. I was taken to chief prosecutor’s office. Their conduct was civil. They were interested in some issues connected with functioning of the social insurance fund when I was its head.

Q. – Before paying you visit so early in the morning, didn’t they give you a notice to go to Prosecutor’s office?

Z.S. – This is what amazes me – they could call or send a notice, couldn’t they? As a law-abiding person I would go and give evidence; instead, they took me by totally unacceptable manner.

Q. – Why did you reject lawyer’s assistance?

Z.S. – At the Prosecutor’s office their attitude to me was quite civil and when I learnt what they were going to interrogate me about I considered that the lawyer’s presence wasn’t necessary – I had to answer purely professional questions. My colleagues and I had given explanations to law-enforcers for several times. But I put forward a condition – in case of need to immediately invite a lawyer. I gave exhaustive answers to all the questions but probably I will have to answer more questions.

At the Prosecutor’s office there was no pressure used on me but the way of taking me there was unacceptable. All this reminded me of ’37-ies of the previous century.

For now Sopromadze is a probationer.

In 2006 revenue police sacked Zaza Sopromadze, former head of Unified state fund of social insurance for abuse of power. After serving his sentence Sopromadze became member of Nino Burjanadze’s party ‘Democratic Movement – United Georgia’. At present Sopromadze is a probationer.