The Tbilisi Court of Appeals has upheld the decision to keep Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of ‘Lelo – Strong Georgia’, in custody, rejecting his appeal against the earlier ruling by the court of first instance.
Party representative Giorgi Sioridze condemned the decision, calling it politically driven. “No one expected the Court of Appeals to deviate in any way from Ivanishvili’s demand,” he said, adding that the verdict, dated August 8, was issued less than an hour before his statement.
Khazaradze was convicted under Article 349 of Georgia’s Criminal Code for failing to comply with the lawful demand of a temporary parliamentary investigative commission. The case stems from his refusal to appear when summoned by then-Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani.
Sioridze argues the conviction is unfounded, claiming “the necessary elements of the offense are absent” and questioning the legitimacy of the commission itself. As he said, the body was formed within an “illegitimate parliament” and in violation of constitutional requirements, including the rule that at least half of its members be from the opposition.
He also mentioned procedural breaches, such as improper summoning protocols and the failure to fill opposition quota seats. “The Court of Appeals, just like the court of first instance, did not dare to summon the main witnesses in this case,” Sioridze noted, referring to Tsulukiani and other commission members.
The politician emphasized that no one in Georgia has ever been convicted under Article 349 before, making this a precedent-setting case. In such situations, he said, “court proceedings… must not be conducted without an oral hearing.”
Despite the appeal’s rejection, Lelo – Strong Georgia intends to take the case to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. “We will pursue this case to the end… so that the Strasbourg Court can dictate the truth,” Sioridze said.
