Abkhaz Premier Murder Attempt: Three Versions

TBILISI (RIA Novosti) — April 1 saw an attempt to assassinate Alexander Ankvab, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia. Detectives have three versions of the event, Jamal Goghia, investigation team chief, and in charge of investigation on the republican Prosecutor General’s office, said to the Apsnypress news agency.

One assumption concerns Ankvab’s work as Premier. The track so leads to private entrepreneurs who have links with corrupt government officers, established over the preceding ten to eleven years. Those tycoons’ profits may drastically shrink now that authorities have tightened their grip on the national economy.

Another track leads to big-time criminals. The Prime Minister is speaking and acting tough on the underworld, and its kings may well be out to kill or at least intimidate him.

Yet other assumptions involve foreign politics. Georgia’s or some other country’s secret services thus come under suspicion of scheming to upset Abkhaz social and political developments.

Goghia made do in his interview with concise references to all those conjectures. Investigation secrecy rules out whatever comments, he explained.

The drama of late afternoon April 1, near Sukhumi-capital of Georgia’s breakaway republic, was not a first attempt to kill the Premier. Ankvab went off unscathed that time. Roman Gheria, Hero of Abkhazia, was wounded.