British citizen and decorated war veteran Matthew Roy Desmond will be deported from Georgia after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, bringing an end to the criminal case that stemmed from his arrest for carrying prescription pain medication.
Under the agreement, approved by Tbilisi City Court on July 16, prosecutors discontinued the criminal prosecution after Desmond pleaded guilty and paid a fine of 100,000 GEL. He will not be returned to Gldani Prison and is scheduled to be deported from Georgia on July 17. The court also banned him from re-entering the country for 20 years.
Desmond, 49, was arrested at the Georgian border on April 23 while entering the country by motorcycle after traveling through Greece and Turkey. He was carrying pregabalin, buprenorphine and codeine, medications prescribed to treat chronic spinal pain resulting from an injury he sustained during his military service in the British Army’s airborne brigade, his lawyers say.
His legal team has maintained throughout the case that Desmond committed no crime and that the issue arose solely because the required paperwork accompanying his medication did not comply with Georgian regulations. They said the medical certificate he presented at the border lacked the apostille certification required under a Health Ministry order.
Desmond had long been willing to accept a plea deal in exchange for his release, but the agreement was delayed. His lawyers say negotiations only gained momentum after they publicly disclosed details of the case.
Although they continue to insist that Desmond was innocent, his lawyers said proving that in court was no longer their client’s priority because of his deteriorating health in prison and the severe sentence he faced if convicted.
“Given his health condition and the fact that he was facing between eight and twelve years in prison, we decided not to take the risk. The conditions offered by the prosecution were acceptable. Freedom is what matters most to him,” attorney Jaba Kochlamazashvili said.
The plea agreement was originally expected to be finalized at a July 13 hearing, but was postponed after Desmond’s family was unable to raise the 100,000 GEL (around £28,000) required to pay the fine. The hearing was rescheduled for July 16, when the agreement was formally approved.
