“To begin the plea bargain process, certain prerequisites must exist: the defendant must admit guilt and compensate for the damage. At this stage, none of these prerequisites exist,” said Irakli Marshania, the prosecutor in the case of Romeo Mikautadze, former Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, after the court hearing.

According to him, the prosecution still has 42 witnesses left to question during the trial.

“The prosecution is actively continuing to present evidence. At today’s court hearing, the prosecution completed the examination of written evidence, and the process proceeded in a calm environment, which indicates that the Anti-Corruption Agency staff conducted a thorough investigation in this case. At the next hearing, the prosecution will present additional witnesses. As of today, 72 witnesses have been questioned and 42 remain.

As for a plea bargain, for this process to begin, certain prerequisites must exist—specifically, the accused must admit guilt, compensate for the damage, and submit a relevant application to us. At this stage, none of these prerequisites exist,” Irakli Marshania stated.

For information, a court hearing in the case of Romeo Mikautadze, former Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, was held at the Tbilisi City Court. At the hearing, the prosecution presented one witness, whose testimony was accepted as undisputed by the defense, after which the examination of written evidence began.

For reference, law enforcement officers detained the former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development on June 20. He has been charged under Article 332, Part 2, and Article 194, Part 3, subparagraph “g” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provide for a sentence of up to 12 years’ imprisonment.