The Tbilisi City Court has fully granted the motion filed by the Prosecutor’s Office against Zurab Girchi Japaridze, leader of the Coalition for Change, in the so-called sabotage case, imposing bail of GEL 30,000 as a restrictive measure.
Under the court’s decision, Japaridze was also ordered to surrender his passport and ID card to the investigative agency. The ruling was delivered by Judge Teona Epitashvili. Japaridze has 30 days to pay the bail.
The Prosecutor’s Office had requested bail in the amount of GEL 30,000, along with the confiscation of Japaridze’s travel and identification documents as an additional restrictive measure. Prosecutors argued that there is a real risk of committing a new crime, claiming Japaridze is not a law-abiding citizen, and cited the possibility of absconding due to his alleged foreign contacts and connections.
The defense opposed the motion, requesting that no restrictive measures be applied. Japaridze’s lawyer stated that there is no risk of either reoffending or fleeing, and argued that confiscating his passport would unlawfully restrict his freedom of movement and hinder his political activities.
Earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia announced new charges against several opposition figures, including Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze.
Zurab Japaridze and Giorgi Vashadze were charged under Articles 318, Part 1 and 319 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which relate to sabotage and assisting a foreign state in hostile activities. Elene Khoshtaria faces additional charges under Article 321, Part 1, concerning the provision of material resources for the alleged crimes. Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze were charged under Article 318, Part 1, pertaining to sabotage.
