According to lawyer Beka Basilaia, the Georgian Court of Appeals has upheld the first-instance verdict against former President Mikheil Saakashvili in the case concerning his illegal border crossing, without holding an oral hearing.
As the lawyer explains, issuing the verdict without an oral hearing effectively means that Saakashvili was denied the right to an appeal review.
Speaking at a briefing, Basilaia stated that the appellate court’s ruling proves that within the ongoing political persecution against Saakashvili, his procedural rights have been essentially nullified.
“As you know, Mikheil Saakashvili is in political imprisonment, and not only has he been denied the right to a fair trial, but his fundamental human rights and freedoms are being trampled upon. We received yet another confirmation of that yesterday – the verdict from the Court of Appeals dated May 16, 2025.
About two months ago, Saakashvili was found guilty in the case related to his return to Georgia. The judge sentenced him by aggregating sentences in violation of the requirements of Georgia’s Criminal Code, ultimately imposing a 12-year and 6-month prison sentence.
We had appealed this decision with a series of legal arguments, including not only our legal position but also established judicial practice, which shows that such an aggregation of sentences is virtually unprecedented. We also presented substantial arguments as to why this act should not be considered a criminal offense.
Instead of holding court hearings in the appellate instance, where the parties could engage in legal debate, the Court of Appeals upheld the first-instance decision without an oral hearing and in an unprecedentedly short time. For a case of this nature, it is also unprecedented for a decision to be made without a hearing.
Mikheil Saakashvili was effectively stripped of his right to appeal, because Judge Mamiseishvili denied the opportunity to present arguments, counter the opposing side, and challenge the legality and reasoning of the initial ruling in a public hearing.
Ironically, the same judge is also expected to review the so-called ‘Suitcase Case’ (also known as the “coats case”) in the appellate court.
This is yet another confirmation that in the context of the political persecution against Mikheil Saakashvili, his procedural rights have been abolished, and he is being denied access to even the most basic legal protections,” Basilaia concluded.
For context: On March 17, Saakashvili was sentenced to 4.6 years in prison for illegal border crossing. Additionally, 8 years were added from a separate case concerning the embezzlement of state funds, bringing his total sentence to 12.6 years.
v-if="article.gallery" v-html="article.gallery"
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
