Andorra blames judiciary after convicted Georgian disappears

Andorra’s Interior and Justice Ministry has placed responsibility for the disappearance of a Georgian national on judicial authorities, saying judges determine how and when sentences are executed and “perhaps did not inform us with sufficient anticipation” about the timing of his release.

Interior Minister Ester Molné said she and her ministry “have no news” of the 43‑year‑old, who was extradited from Armenia earlier this month. According to Molné, the man “is likely already back home.” She defended the ministry’s actions, saying police could not keep him under constant surveillance because that was barred by the court’s decision.

The man had been convicted for a 2019 jewellery theft — an alleged theft of a ring valued at more than €8,000 — and a 2020 attempted robbery that targeted a watch worth about €21,000, pearls of roughly €1,400 and €500 in cufflinks. Authorities say he still had 16 days of sentence to serve in La Comella and that part of his punishment was to be substituted by a seven‑year expulsion, a factor Molné said may have complicated calculations about the sentence’s exact end date.

A judicial order placed the released inmate in a pension (boarding house) pending expulsion; Molné described that decision as “unusual” but declined to comment on its merits, saying assessments of judicial rulings are for the courts. She also rejected claims that the man had been held illegally, calling such assertions “reckless,” and reiterated that at the stage he had reached he could not legally have been kept in custody.

The case was further complicated by a prohibition on the man’s entry to the Schengen area. Spanish authorities had warned Andorra that the Georgian was banned from Schengen, a notification that surprised Andorran officials because he had been escorted through Spain when arriving from Armenia. Molné said Andorra was working with Spain to obtain the necessary permissions to repatriate him to Georgia, but before those arrangements were completed the man left and “short‑circuited” the transit plan.

Local reporting notes the man had numerous prior convictions, mainly for theft and robbery, and a severe drug dependency, elements that made transit through neighbouring countries unavoidable. The Andorran police activated a search earlier this month but, so far, have not located him.

Molné declined to evaluate how the case affects Andorra’s image, saying such judgments are for neighbouring states to make. The ministry has not provided further details about the ongoing investigation into his disappearance.