Up to 46 volumes of case materials have been submitted in the criminal case against Bacho Akhalaia. The prosecution will prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Ani Nadareishvili holds the status of a witness and cannot act as a lawyer in this criminal case, Prosecutor Tamar Bezhuashvili told journalists.

As she noted before the start of the court hearing, in the criminal case against Bacho Akhalaia, the prosecution will file motions to have the evidence obtained during the investigation admitted by the court. The issue of the preventive measure will also be reviewed. In addition, according to the prosecutor, the prosecution will request that today’s court hearing be closed to the public.

“The motivation for closing the hearing is as follows: in the ongoing criminal case, evidence has been obtained and participants include employees of the State Security Service. There are also classified materials in a separate criminal case. For this reason, we consider it appropriate to close the court session. Decisions are made individually in each case. In this criminal case, based on the evidence and circumstances, such a decision has been made.

There are dozens of expert reports in the criminal case, including a forensic phonoscopic examination. Given that the court proceedings will be conducted in a closed format, the prosecution cannot comment on the content of the evidence at this stage. However, I can confirm that such evidence exists in the case. We have obtained a great deal of direct evidence. Up to 46 volumes of case materials have been submitted to the court; therefore, the prosecution will prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution cannot speak about the content of the materials. The experts who issued the relevant conclusions will appear in court and will be questioned before the court,” Tamar Bezhuashvili stated.

According to her, in this criminal case, Bacho Akhalaia’s wife, Ani Nadareishvili, has the status of a witness and therefore cannot represent him as a lawyer.

“Ani Nadareishvili is a witness in this criminal case. [As for the fact that a witness has the right not to testify against a family member] that will be her decision. She does not have the status of a defendant. She has witness status. A witness cannot act as a lawyer in this criminal case,” Tamar Bezhuashvili said.

For reference, in connection with the October 4 case, Bacho Akhalaia has been charged under Article 225, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia — organization and leadership of group violence, which предусматривает a sentence of up to nine years of imprisonment.