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Georgia Arrests Two Over Sex Tape Scandal


Georgia has arrested two people in connection with a sex tape scandal that has rocked the Caucasus nation.

The Prosecutor-General's Office said on March 15 that the two men -- former Interior Ministry official Zurab Jamalashvili and lawyer Irakli Pkhaladze -- were suspected of illegally spreading footage of senior politicians engaged in sexual acts.

The suspects deny the allegations.

A video posted on YouTube last week appears to show a female politician from the opposition Free Democrats party having extramarital sex with an unidentified partner.

In another video, an anonymous sender threatened to release footage of two politicians from the ruling coalition, another opposition politician, and a journalist unless all four resigned by March 31.

The "entire government system... is mobilized... and the crime will soon be solved," said President Giorgi Margvelashvili.

Margvelashvili has already condemned the sex tapes and vowed to locate and punish the "dark forces" behind them.

The scandal comes months before Georgia's parliamentary elections in October.

Based on reporting by Georgia Today and the BBC

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