Nika Gvaramia, who was sentenced to imprisonment, arrived at Rustavi No. 12 penitentiary on his own

The leader of the “Coalition for Change,” Nika Gvaramia, whose bail as a preventive measure was replaced with imprisonment, arrived at Rustavi No. 12 penitentiary on his own.

Nika Gvaramia did not appear at today’s hearing held at the Tbilisi City Court.

During the hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office requested that the preventive measure imposed on Gvaramia — a 30,000 GEL bail — be replaced with imprisonment. The judge granted the prosecution’s request and changed the bail to pre-trial detention.

The defendant, a politician, failed to pay the bail within the legally prescribed time frame.

For context, Nika Gvaramia was summoned to provide testimony before the Georgian Parliament’s Temporary Investigative Commission but did not appear. As a result, he has been charged under Article 349 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which concerns “failure to comply with a request from a temporary parliamentary investigative commission.” This offense is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to one year, and/or disqualification from holding office or engaging in specific activities for up to three years.

Nika Gvaramia had been ordered to pay 30,000 GEL as bail as a preventive measure, with a 50-day deadline for payment. That deadline expired on June 7.