The Prosecutor’s Office is requesting to change the preventive measure imposed on Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze, a member of the “Coalition for Change,” specifically the 20,000 GEL bail.
However, they did not manage to submit the motion during the hearing, as shortly after this intention was announced, the defense lawyers stated that the working hours had ended—it was 6:00 PM—and requested to postpone the session.
As prosecutor Natia Tatishvili explained, the defense had claimed just minutes earlier that they were ready to proceed outside working hours, but once they learned the prosecution intended to request a change to the bail, they demanded a postponement. The prosecution interpreted this as a delay tactic by the defense.
The defense argued that there was no urgency, working hours were over, and the session should be held at another time.
The judge asked the defendant, Zurab Japaridze, for his position on the matter.
"I have things to do, so I’ll leave," Japaridze said.
The prosecution objected to postponing the hearing, arguing that if the lawyers had other engagements, the case could still proceed since this article does not require mandatory legal representation.
The defense stated they had a comprehensive motion to submit for case dismissal, so the session needed to be rescheduled.
"I love Zurab Japaridze very much, but I’m not going to die here," said Gvaramia.
The judge did not postpone the hearing but announced a recess.
At today’s session, the court also considered the admissibility of evidence. The defense filed a motion to include the chairperson of the commission, Tea Tsulukiani, Patrol Police Chief Vazha Siradze, and his deputy, Sergi Bzishvili, in the list of witnesses.
The prosecution did not agree to this motion.
The judge partially granted the defense’s request but removed Tea Tsulukiani, Vazha Siradze, and Sergi Bzishvili from the witness list.
The case concerns the launch of an investigation and charges over the failure to comply with the legal request of the Georgian Parliament’s temporary investigative commission. Japaridze did not appear before the commission, after which he was summoned to testify before a magistrate judge and was officially charged.
Tbilisi City Court imposed a 20,000 GEL bail as a preventive measure against Japaridze.
For context, the investigation is being conducted under Article 349 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to “failure to comply with the request of a temporary investigative commission of the Georgian Parliament.” The offense is punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to one year, along with deprivation of the right to hold office or engage in professional activity for up to three years.
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