Pursuant to the request of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia, Farid Gurbanov, convicted for contracted killing of Besarion Khardziani, was extradited from Türkiye to Georgia today, September 12.

Farid Gurbanov had been wanted by the Georgian law enforcement authorities through Interpol international channels since April 28, 2015 for the murder of Besarion Khardziani.

It has been ascertained that Farid Gurbanov, using a fake Ukrainian passport issued in the name of Oleksandr Dametov, arrived at Tbilisi International Airport with an accomplice on January 13, 2015, intending to murder Besarion Khardziani.

Immediately after their arrival, the offenders started preparing for the murder. To this end, they rented an apartment on Peking Avenue, Tbilisi, for a long period. They deliberately purchased a Honda moped that did not require registration. They moved around wearing helmets and reversible jackets. In order to choose a convenient time for the murder, Farid Gurbanov and his accomplice started taking shifts to control Besarion Khardziani’s movements. The offenders kept the conspiracy to the fullest extent possible when they surveilled and lived in the rented apartment. They regularly changed their clothes and altered their routes and means of transportation.

In the afternoon of March 28, 2015, Besarion Khardziani, who was being surveilled by Farid Gurbanov, arrived at his house on Marabda Street, Tbilisi. Farid Gurbanov followed him into the building entrance and shot him three times from a Makarov firearm, which had a silencer on. One of these was a control shot to the head. As a result of the above-mentioned, Besarion Khardziani died on spot.

Farid Gurbanov and his accomplice left Georgia the same day through the Sarpi Customs Checkpoint.

Farid Gurbanov has been convicted by all three instances of the court for contracted killing, illegal purchase, storage, and carrying of firearms and ammunition, illegal border crossing into Georgia, and using a forged official document. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

As for Farid Gurbanov"s accomplice, a citizen of a foreign country, he has been sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment for aiding and abetting in the murder. He continued to by wanted internationally by a red notice to arrest him and bring him to justice in Georgia.

We would like to thank the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Security Service, and the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance, along with the Prosecution Service of Georgia, for their effective work in the joint investigative team, which made it possible to solve the grave crime.

We would also like to thank the Ministry of Justice and the Special Penitentiary Service for carrying out the necessary measures for extradition within their competence.

We would like to extend our special gratitude to the competent authorities of the Republic of Türkiye for successful cooperation.

Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia continues the investigation in order to identify the individual who ordered the murder of Besarion Khardziani, as well as any others who may have participated in the crime.