The lawyer of Vladimer Ghudushauri, the former head of the Ministry of Defense’s Procurement Department, Dimitri Mchedlishvili, is requesting his client’s release on a 100,000 GEL bail.

This motion was presented in court moments ago.

The prosecution demanded the strictest preventive measure—detention.

According to prosecutor Irakli Marshania, there are both factual and formal grounds for applying preventive measures against the detainees.

The prosecutor spoke of the risks of the accused committing new crimes, absconding, or influencing witnesses. Additionally, Marshania stated that a range of investigative actions still need to be conducted, including questioning former colleagues of the accused and individuals connected to them, whom the detainees could potentially influence.

Furthermore, according to the prosecutor, the detainees have crossed the state border multiple times, and due to the fear of the expected punishment—since the offense mandates 7 to 11 years of imprisonment without alternative—they may attempt to flee.

The defense disagreed with the prosecution’s motion. As Dimitri Mchedlishvili, Vasil Mkheidze’s lawyer, explained, the motion is unjustified, and the grounds cited by the prosecution are abstract.

Mchedlishvili submitted a motion for Ghudushauri’s release on a 100,000 GEL bail.

Vladimer Ghudushauri is exercising his right to remain silent, while Vasil Mkheidze and Giorgi Khaindrava do not admit guilt.

The former Deputy Minister of Defense Giorgi Khaindrava, the former head of the Ministry’s Procurement Department Vladimer Ghudushauri, and the brother of the then-Minister of Defense’s wife, Vasil Mkheidze, were officially charged yesterday.

Ghudushauri and Giorgi Khaindrava are accused of large-scale misappropriation of funds, while Vasil Mkheidze is accused of aiding in the misappropriation.

According to the charges, Juansher Burchuladze’s deputy, Giorgi Khaindrava, and the then-head of the Ministry of Defense’s Procurement Department, Vladimer Ghudushauri, with the assistance of Burchuladze’s wife’s brother, Vasil Mkheidze, created a non-competitive environment through deliberate actions during the procurement process for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine for the military hospital. As a result, through fictitious transactions, the actual cost of the equipment was inflated, leading to the misappropriation of 1,333,728 GEL belonging to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.

The investigation concerns the misappropriation of a large amount of funds belonging to the Georgian Ministry of Defense by a group with prior agreement, through the abuse of official positions, and aiding in misappropriation. It is being conducted under Article 182, Part 2, Subparagraphs “a” and “d,” and Part 3, Subparagraph “b” of the Georgian Criminal Code, which provides for imprisonment ranging from 7 to 11 years as the type and measure of punishment.