There is no evidence in the case against Bacho Akhalaia, and we demand the cancellation of the preventive measure, the lawyer of former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia, Malkhaz Velijanashvili, told journalists before the start of the court hearing.

According to him, there is no witness in the case who implicates Bacho Akhalaia. The lawyer also stated that Akhalaia himself will attend the court hearing.

“As for the motion to close the court hearing, of course, this position is understandable, since they do not want the public to see that there is no evidence in the case and instead want to conduct the trial quietly. There is no reason whatsoever to close the hearing. A similar case is being heard publicly in another proceeding.

There is absolutely no evidence — that is precisely the ridiculous part. They have only seized an IP address and nothing more, along with a circulated, edited video recording. An official conclusion has been issued in the case stating that even their own expert examination does not confirm anything [in relation to the video recording]. Accordingly, the public already knew that it was fake and edited; they themselves have now confirmed this, and that is all. Such a call never physically took place, so how can we speak about the authenticity of this video? They were physically unable to include any real evidence in the case. Only certain procedural actions have been added, which do not constitute evidence.

They accuse Bacho Akhalaia of speaking with the very individuals whom they allegedly arrested as organizers. In other words, their argument is that he spoke to them — which they cannot even prove — and that he gave them instructions. That is how it is formulated in the charges. However, the case file does not specify what the content of those alleged conversations might have been, not to mention that no connection has been established,” Malkhaz Velijanashvili said.

He also stated that he cannot disclose on whose statement the investigation against Akhalaia was initiated, as the case is classified and he does not have the right to reveal specific names.

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.