A court hearing for Romeo Mikautadze, the former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, is taking place at Tbilisi City Court.

The accused, Romeo Mikautadze, is attending the court session in person.

At today’s hearing, Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili will consider the imposition of a preventive measure for Romeo Mikautadze.

According to Romeo Mikautadze’s lawyer, Beka Nemsitsveridze, the charges brought by the prosecution are baseless and unsubstantiated, and therefore, he requests that the accused be released without a preventive measure.

The prosecution, on the other hand, believes that the accused may abscond, destroy evidence, or influence witnesses, and on this basis, requests the imposition of detention as a preventive measure.

For context, according to the prosecution’s charges, Romeo Mikautadze systematically abused his official powers, which was accompanied by obtaining particularly large amounts of income. Specifically, with the assistance of individuals involved in criminal activities, the accused legalized 2,556,192 GEL in illegal and unjustified income.

Law enforcement authorities detained the former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development on June 20. He faces charges under Article 332, Part 2, and Article 194, Part 3, Subparagraph "g" of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provide for a penalty of up to 12 years of imprisonment.