This is an unprecedentedly shameful act when the prosecution uses the position of the agency of the occupation regime as evidence in the case, - Berdia Sichinava, the lawyer of the former Prime Minister of Georgia, leader of the Gakharia for Georgia party, Giorgi Gakharia, told Interpressnews after the end of the trial.

According to him, the ongoing trial related to the so-called Chorchana episode is "a legal process carried out in revenge by Bidzina Ivanishvili, with the aim of political punishment."

“Absolutely all of the defense’s evidence was declared admissible. Dozens of pieces of evidence, including witness interviews, as well as information received from the EU Monitoring Mission, were attached to the criminal case, which directly confirm that Giorgi Gakharia not only exceeded his official authority, but protected the village of Chorchana from imminent occupation," said Berdia Sichinava.

For information, the pre-trial hearing of former Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia was held at the Tbilisi City Court in connection with the so-called Chorchana case. At the court session, evidence from both the prosecution and the defense was presented, including classified documents presented by the prosecution.

Tbilisi City Court upheld the pre-trial detention imposed on former Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia. 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 said.

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.