“We naturally expected today’s decision on pre-trial detention — it’s not as if we have a justice system different from Qvarqvare Tutaberidze’s, or that someone else controls it. It is one system, two parts of the same mechanism, making decisions in the judiciary,” Berdia Sichinava, Executive Secretary of For Georgia and Giorgi Gakharia’s lawyer, said after the court hearing.
He claimed that there was not even a single piece of factual evidence that could convince an objective observer of Giorgi Gakharia’s guilt.
“The Prosecutor’s Office and the court do not exist — this case is soaked in political motives from beginning to end. There is no discussion here about legal processes, arguments, or evidence. There wasn’t even factual material that would meet the standard of a ‘well-founded suspicion’, nothing that could convince any objective person of Gakharia’s guilt. This is not a case against Giorgi Gakharia — this is a case against Georgia. You will see how the puppet regime in Tskhinvali will use this as a precedent. This is harm done to the country today by the prosecution and the court.
We had to ask twice because we couldn’t understand what the judge was saying while announcing the decision, although it was clear that detention was being imposed,” Sichinava said.
He added that the defence will request the court transcript, as parts of the reasoning were incomprehensible.
“We need to request the official transcript because parts of the reasoning were impossible to understand. I hope the written ruling will explain it more clearly. The main argument they relied on was the alleged risk of absconding — even though the prosecution has never summoned him for questioning in this case. He appeared before the investigative commission once, twice; he has been questioned twice in the June 20 case. So speaking about a risk of absconding and using such abstract arguments — as if Gakharia would hide — is completely unacceptable,” Sichinava stated.
He added that the defence has no special expectations from the Georgian courts, but they intend to exhaust all domestic remedies in order to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
“The date of the next hearing has been set. We will obtain the evidence that directly exonerates Giorgi Gakharia, and the fabricated, dirty so-called evidence in this case will turn to dust before an objective court. We have no particular expectations from this judiciary, but we must exhaust all domestic remedies so that we can apply to the European Court of Human Rights,” he said.
Asked whether the defence will request Giorgi Gakharia’s participation via video link, Sichinava replied that if the investigation is genuinely interested in his testimony, there should be no obstacle.
“If the court wishes to enable Gakharia’s remote participation, we will certainly make the request. Giorgi Gakharia has his arguments, he has never avoided answering questions. If they are genuinely interested in hearing from him, there is no problem for the investigation to take his testimony,” Sichinava noted.
In the so-called Chorchana episode, the former Prime Minister and leader of For Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, has been sentenced to pre-trial detention in absentia.
As for the separate charge against Gakharia related to the June 20 protest dispersal, the court will assess the request for a preventive measure today at 20:00.
Related story: Giorgi Gakharia sentenced to pre-trial detention in absentia in Chorchana case; search to be announced
