SUKHUM. Dec 3 (Interfax) - Former Interior Minister of Abkhazia Garri Arshba has rejected accusations of his involvement in the murder of two Abkhaz residents near a restaurant in Sukhum on November 22.
Around 300 people, including relatives of the persons killed in that shooting incident in Sukhum on November 22, gathered outside the parliament headquarters in the Abkhaz capital at midday on Monday, demanding the interior minister's resignation. One of the rally organizers accused the interior minister of a role in that crime.
"Remarks made by a relative of the killer persons that I'm involved in the murder are absurd. I have nothing to do with this crime. On the contrary, I made every possible effort to ensure that this bold crime is solved and those standing behind it are found and brought to justice," Arshba said.
Speaking at a meeting of the local Security Council, Abkhazia's President Raul Khadjimba the authorities three days to solve the crime, he said.
"These are very grave crimes, and it's difficult to solve them within such a short period," he said.
"All of the city's entries and exits were sealed off after the crime was committed. The Interior Ministry urgently launched a search operation. The people who committed this crime are villains. They must be found and punished," he said.
Earlier on Monday it was reported that Interior Minister Arshba was dismissed by a presidential decree and his First Deputy Kazbek Makhashev by a prime ministerial order. The president has appointed Levan Kvaratskhelia as acting Interior Minister.
The parliament of Abkhazia unanimously voted to dismiss Prosecutor General Zurab Achba and his First Deputy Esshou Kakalia during an extraordinary session later that day.
A parliament source said that Achba and Kakalia had tendered their resignation to the president, who in turn made the submission to the parliament.
Last week the parliament held an emergency meeting, attended by senior interior and prosecution officials, to discuss the escalation in crime in the republic, parliamentarian Valery Agrba said.
"Then deputies demanded that the perpetrators of the San Remo restaurant shooting on the embankment in Sukhum be swiftly found, but there were no results," Agrba said.
According to another parliamentarian, Dmitry Dbar, the new prosecutor general "must hold his predecessor to account for professional negligence."
"Neither the Interior Ministry nor the prosecution authorities took necessary steps to resolve the crimes, thus helping the criminals to escape justice," Dbar said, noting that "law enforcers did have information on the criminals, but failed to detain them," Dbar said.