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Georgia: Orthodox Church Embroiled in Poisoning Attempt Scandal

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Mar 09, 2017

A priest in the Orthodox Church in the country of Georgia has been accused of attempting to poison the personal secretary of the Church’s Patriarch.

Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze reportedly attempted to poison the Georgian Patriarch’s personal secretary with cyanide in order to gain a greater position of power within the church.

The Patriarch was in Berlin at the time of the attempted murder, undergoing gallbladder surgery. His secretary, Shorena Tetruashvili, was with him.

Mamaladze was arrested on February 10 at Tbilisi International Airport where cyanide was found in his luggage, according to Christian Today.

A witness to Mamaladze’s poisoning attempt, Irakli Mamaladze (no known relation), testified that the priest had attempted to bribe him into selling him potassium cyanide in exchange for a good position within the church.

Irakli Mamaladze did not sell Giorgi Mamaladze the poison, but instead recorded their meetings, which has now been used as evidence against Giorgi.

In court, Mamaladze has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. If convicted, he will face a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years.

Mamaladze serves as the director general of the Georgian Patriarchate’s St. Joachim and Ana Medical Center, as well as the deputy head of the Patriarchate’s property management service.

 

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: March 9, 2017