There is a blank sheet of paper in my case, on which my name, surname and article are indicated, nothing more - we are dealing with a great absurdity, there is no evidence, - the leader of the Strategy Builder party, Giorgi Vashadze, told journalists.

According to him, the court hearings in the so-called sabotage case will most likely be held in closed session, because "if they open it, the public will see that we are dealing with a great absurdity and not with a legal process."

“The judge did not grant the motion to open the hearing. This was absolutely expected, because this case has no substance. They simply want to harass people who are fighting for the development of Georgia, for a strong country, for the consolidation of the nation, for membership in the European Union, for a good life in this country. Yesterday we saw that Elene Khoshtaria, a mother of 4 children, was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months for nothing, so we are not surprised by what is happening in this country.

I would like to tell the public once again that there are several dozen people in this country who do not want us to continue our normal path of development, do not want there to be prospects for Georgian citizens in Georgia, so our main message is consolidation, standing together, in order to return Georgia to the path of development, to be leaders in the region, to be proud of our country and, most importantly, to overcome this most difficult crisis that the country is facing once and for all,” - Vashadze said.

For information, the Prosecutor General’s Office has charged Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Zurab Girchi Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze in the so-called sabotage case.

More specifically, Giorgi Vashadze and Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze are charged under Article 318(1) and Article 319 of the Criminal Code, covering sabotage and assisting a foreign country in hostile activities. This carries a sentence of 7–15 years imprisonment.

Elene Khoshtaria is charged under Articles 318(1), 319, and 321¹(1), covering sabotage, providing material resources for the crime, and assisting a foreign country in hostile activities.

Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze are charged under Article 318(1), covering sabotage.

Mikheil Saakashvili is charged under Article 317, which covers calls to violently change Georgia’s constitutional order or overthrow state power.

As a preventive measure, Giorgi Vashadze and Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze have bail set at 30,000 GEL each, while Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze have bail set at 1 million GEL each.