Tbilisi City Court has granted bail in the amount of 500,000 GEL to the former Deputy Minister of IDPs, Labor, Health and Social Protection, Ilia Gudushauri, as a restrictive measure.

The term for payment of the bail was set at 30 days. The accused will remain in custody until the amount is paid in full.

As the prosecutor stated at the court hearing, the use of the restrictive measure is necessary because the investigation into the case is still ongoing. In particular, the motive and goal of the accused are being established.

The Prosecutor's Office also requested that the accused be prohibited from crossing the border and that his passport and ID card be confiscated.

Judge Nana Shamatava took into account the prosecutor's motion and ordered the seizure of Ilia Gudushauri's passport and ID card.

The Prosecutor's Office charged Gudushauri with abuse of official authority by a person holding a political position.

The prosecution requested a bail of 500,000 GEL, since the defendant confessed to the crime and cooperated with the investigation.

The defendant himself did not comment at the hearing. He fully admitted the charges.

The pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for March 24 at 12:00.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, an investigation conducted by the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance established that on September 27, 2022, the Ministry of IDPs, Labor, Health and Social Protection announced a tender for the purchase of 70 emergency medical vehicles. Three bidders participated in the announced tender, and the company submitting the lowest price was declared the winner. However, the defendant, who acted in favor of the company submitting a relatively high price participating in the tender, illegally terminated the tender announced by the Ministry on an artificially created basis. On May 10, 2023, on his instructions, a new tender was announced with changed conditions, which was tailored to one specific bidder and whose management was a personal acquaintance of the accused. As a result, the tender was held without the participation of other companies and without any competition. The winner was declared a pre-selected company, to which the ministry paid at least 2,138,000 GEL more due to the relatively high price submitted. According to the agency, this action of the accused substantially violated the legitimate interests of the state. The detainee was charged under Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code (abuse of official authority by a person holding a state-political position).