Zurab Mikhailovich Agumava (russian: Зураб Михайлович Агумава; born 1961) is the head of the Supreme Court and a former politician from

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

Early life

Agumava was born in 1961 in the village of

Eshera Eshera ( ka, ეშერა; ab, Ешыра; russian: Эшера) is a village in the Sukhumi District in Abkhazia. It is a climatic-balneotherapeutic resort on the Black Sea coast, at the right side of Gumista river. Its altitude above sea lev ...

and was educated in the local school. In 1987, Agumava graduated in jurisprudence from the

Abkhazian State University The Abkhazian State University is the only university in Abkhazia. It was founded in 1979 on the basis of the Sukhumi Pedagogical Institute. Its first rector was Zurab Anchabadze. The university consists the departments of physics and mathematic ...

Career

Following his graduation, Agumava joined the Security Service. During the 1992–93 war with Georgia, he led counterintelligence on the Gumista front. Agumava was promoted first to deputy head in 1993 and then, after the end of the war in December 1993, head of military counterintelligence of Abkhazia. Between 1995 and May 1999, he held several senior posts in the Security Service and the Military Prosecution. In May 1999, Zurab Agumava was elected as a Supreme Court judge.

Interior Minister and Security Service Head

On 2 April Agumava was appointed Interior Minister by President

Vladislav Ardzinba Vladislav Ardzinba ( ab, Владислав Арӡынба, ka, ვლადისლავ არძინბა; 14 May 1945 – 4 March 2010) was the first ''de facto'' President of Abkhazia. A historian by education, Ardzinba led Abkhazia t ...

on 2 July 2001. On 1 November 2001, Agumava succeeded Raul Khajimba as Head of the State Security Service. On 2 April 2003, Agumava was appointed acting Head of the

Sukhumi District Sukhumi District is one of the districts of Abkhazia, One of Georgia’s two breakaway republics. It corresponds to the eponymous Georgian municipality. Its capital is Sukhumi, the town by the same name, which is also the capital of entire Abkhazi ...

, a post which he continued to hold until Ardzinba's successor

Sergei Bagapsh Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh, ka, სერგეი ბაგაფში, russian: Сергей Васильевич Багапш, translit=Sergey Vasilyevich Bagapsh (4 March 1949 – 29 May 2011) was an Abkhaz politician who served as th ...

appointed him Military Prosecutor in 2006.

Head of the Supreme Court

On 6 June 2014, Agumava was appointed acting Prosecutor General after the dismissal of Saferbei Mikanba following the

2014 Abkhazian political crisis The Abkhazian Revolution took place in 2014, when President Aleksandr Ankvab resigned after hundreds of demonstrators stormed his office. After mass protests in the capital Sukhumi and the occupation of his office on 27 May, Ankvab fled to his h ...

. On 9 September, this appointment was extended by acting President

Valeri Bganba Valeri Ramshukhovich Bganba (russian: Валерий Рамшухович Бганба; born 26 August 1953) is an Abkhazian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Abkhazia from 18 September 2018 to 23 April 2020 and as the acting Preside ...

until 7 October 2014, on which date Parliament elected Aleksei Lomia. On 30 July, Agumava elected Head of the Supreme Court by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, to succeed Roman Mushba who had announced his resignation, co-inciding with the end of his mandate.

References

Living people Ministers for Internal Affairs of Abkhazia 1961 births People from Sukhumi District Chairmen of the State Security Service of Abkhazia Heads of Sukhumi District {{Abkhazia-bio-stub