I have never in my life thought about any material benefit. Maybe I missed something, I should have paid more attention, - former Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Koba Gabunia stated this during the court proceedings.

According to him, he received no benefit whatsoever.

"I want to clarify that I have never in my life thought about any material benefit. Maybe I missed something, I should have paid more attention. There were many companies, processes were ongoing, but I received no benefit. The Municipal Development Fund was strong. There were numerous criteria, but the fact that I instructed someone to do something... No, sir, I shouldn't have missed that. I never sought benefit.

Advances were issued by the government so that everyone had an equal chance. I had no interest, no benefit, no favoritism. I couldn't review the case materials. I learned from TV that a company failed to fulfill something. But cooperation with that company was terminated. I couldn't review all the procurement and documentation for 218 kindergartens. It's possible I missed something. Maybe I didn't notice something. The accusation is so huge - 9 million lari - I don't know.

I have never hidden. I support my family; my family depends on me, including my parents and my wife's parents. No one could ask me or order me to give something to someone. Everything was proceeding objectively," Koba Gabunia stated.

For reference, the trial of former Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Koba Gabunia is ongoing at Tbilisi City Court.

The prosecution is requesting pre-trial detention as a preventive measure, while the defense is seeking a 400,000-lari bail.