“Those who participated remotely were either witnesses to a certain event or victims — that is a completely different status. Gakharia, however, is responsible for the Chorchana events, and this places him in an entirely different category,” — said Georgian Dream MP and member of the Parliament’s Temporary Investigative Commission, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, in a statement to journalists.

According to him, Giorgi Gakharia “ought to have shown good will” and attended the commission session, “especially when he knew in advance that he was scheduled to speak.”

"Those we had connected remotely were either witnesses or victims of certain events. That status is entirely different. In the case of Gakharia, he is the one responsible for the events in Chorchana. That puts him in a completely different status. I can’t say he’s a defendant — that’s for the Prosecutor’s Office to determine — but he is neither a witness nor, certainly, a victim. Therefore, he should have shown good will and attended this session when he was clearly informed in advance that he was expected to appear.

As for what decision the commission will make, we’ll see together. I’m heading back to the session, and we will make the decision collectively,” said Sharmanashvili.

For context, the For Georgia party stated that Giorgi Gakharia is currently outside the country and has expressed readiness to speak to the investigative commission remotely regarding the Chorchana issue. The party’s statement notes that the commission has refused to question Gakharia remotely and “insistently demands” his physical presence at the June 23 session. According to the party, this demand “has no objective justification” if the commission is “genuinely interested in hearing his testimony on the Chorchana matter.”