Tbilisi City Court has upheld the pre-trial detention imposed on former Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia in connection with the so-called Chorchana episode.

The decision was made by Tbilisi City Court Judge Valerian Bugianishvili.

With this decision, the judge granted the prosecution's motion.

For information, according to the Prosecutor's Office, Giorgi Gakharia unilaterally made the decision to erect an additional police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana along the occupation line. As the indictment explains, the aforementioned actions were used by representatives of the occupation regime as a pretext for actions against the territorial integrity of Georgia. In particular, on September 5, 2019, illegal armed formations of the de facto Tskhinvali regime occupied heights in the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities.

“About one hundred hectares of forest area came under the control of the occupation forces. Various illegal activities took place, including the movement of heavy military equipment towards settlements, which created a real threat of armed conflict between the parties. The residential houses of the residents of the villages of Obi and Tsnelisi of the Khashuri municipality also appeared on the occupied territory,” the Prosecutor's Office sadi.

Giorgi Gakharia was charged under Articles 25, 117, Part 3, Subparagraph “m” and Article 333, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for up to 13 years of imprisonment as a form and measure of punishment.

It is worth noting that in addition to the so-called Chorchana episode, criminal prosecution against former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia is also underway in another case - the episode of the crackdown on the June 20 rally.