"Tea Tsulukiani – some scoundrel, an ill-mannered person – is summoning me to the commission. And how? ‘Givi, we are Givi.’ If Bidzina [Ivanishvili] were summoned like that, would he go? What if his grandmother were summoned that way, wouldn’t he protest? What does it even mean to be summoned to a commission like that?" – said opposition politician Givi Targamadze, who is being accused of failing to comply with the request of the parliamentary temporary investigative commission.

He will reportedly make a final statement and attend the sentencing, which is scheduled for June 27 at 10:30 AM.

"We see that everyone is being arrested. This judge sentenced a young guy to 4.6 years in prison – do you think I care what he’ll do to me? The prosecution presented a video as evidence, where some being – Tea Tsulukiani – some scoundrel, an ill-mannered person – summons me to the commission. And how? ‘Givi, we are Givi.’ If Bidzina were summoned like that, would he go? What if his grandmother were summoned like that – would that be acceptable? What does it mean to be summoned like this? I’m an experienced person, I’m not young anymore. Who is Tea Tsulukiani to summon me saying ‘Givi, we are Givi’? Am I supposed to show up to that? What are we even talking about?

I wouldn’t have gone even if it were done more properly – but that doesn’t mean people should be rude. I myself was deputy chair of an investigative commission. Do you remember me ever being rude? I’m ready for anything – I’m wanted by Putin, I’ve been sentenced to 25 years in Belarus, I’ve been sentenced to prison in Russia. I’m ready. Do you think I’m crazy to act like this?" – Targamadze said.

Targamadze was responding to a statement made by Tea Tsulukiani, the chair of the investigative commission, who said:"Operation 'Givi, we are Givi' was successfully completed. We delivered the message – Mr. Givi, please appear, as the issue of criminal liability will arise and that will be inevitable," Tsulukiani stated during the April 3 session.

Givi Targamadze was summoned to the Parliament's temporary investigative commission to provide an explanation on April 3, but he did not attend.

Following this, he was charged, and the court imposed a bail measure of 10,000 GEL, which he paid within the legally required timeframe.

For reference, Givi Targamadze was charged under Article 349 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to the "failure to comply with the request of the Parliament of Georgia’s temporary investigative commission." This offense is punishable by a fine, or up to one year of imprisonment, along with up to three years of disqualification from holding office or carrying out certain professional activities.