The Tbilisi City Court decided to take into custody Irakli Okruashvili, the former Minister of Defense of Georgia, who held the position in 2004-2006. In 2022, he voluntarily joined the defense of Ukraine in the war against Russia. About this informs Georgian edition of Radio Liberty.
The Tbilisi City Court changed the preventive measure for the former Minister of Defense Irakli Okruashvili: instead of a bail of 20,000 GEL, he was ordered to be kept in custody. The arrest took place directly in the courtroom. On May 14, at a preliminary hearing, judge Nino Tarashvili considered the prosecutor’s request to replace bail with imprisonment.
Okruashvili is accused of not complying with the requirements of the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Parliament, created by the pro-Russian party “Georgian Dream”. It aimed to investigate the period of rule of its main political opponent, the National Movement, headed by Mikheil Saakashvili at the time. Earlier, he was given a preventive measure in the form of bail with the condition not to leave the territory of Georgia until the end of the court process. The deadline for payment of funds ended on May 8.
During the meeting, Irakli Okruashvili stated that he does not plan to post bail. He was summoned to the Temporary Commission of Inquiry on March 26 to give an explanation, but he refused to appear. After that, he was invited to the Tbilisi City Court to testify, where he answered questions before a magistrate judge.
Okruashvili was charged under Article 349 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which refers to “failure to fulfill the requirement of the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Parliament.” Sanctions under this article include a fine, imprisonment for up to one year, or a ban on holding certain positions or carrying out certain activities for a period of up to three years.
