Prosecutor Irakli Marshania stated that a plea agreement with former Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Romeo Mikautadze would only be possible if he fully admits guilt and compensates the damage, neither of which is currently in place.

Speaking to journalists after a hearing at the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, Marshania said the situation remains the same as during the first-instance proceedings.

“For a plea agreement to be concluded, he must admit the committed crime and compensate the damage, which at this stage is not present - the situation is the same as it was during the first-instance trial,” the prosecutor said.

He noted that the first-instance court had already found Mikautadze guilty on all charges and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, along with confiscation of property and a temporary ban from holding public office.

According to Marshania, the defense has appealed the verdict but has not presented any new circumstances or evidence that were not already examined by the trial court.

“There are no new circumstances or evidence in the appeal that were not already considered by the first-instance court. Therefore, we believe the verdict is lawful and should remain in force,” he said.

The prosecutor also recalled that a plea deal had been discussed earlier but was rejected because the defendant did not admit guilt and had not compensated damages.

“At the stage of the first-instance proceedings, he submitted a request for a plea agreement, but the prosecution refused, as he did not admit guilt and had not compensated the damage. At this stage, nothing has changed,” Marshania said.

He added that any future request would still require strict legal conditions.

“In general, the prosecution is obliged to consider any application submitted to it. However, for a plea agreement, several conditions must be met - admission of guilt, compensation of damage, and other prerequisites. At this stage, none of these are present.”

As a reminder, the Tbilisi City Court found Romeo Mikautadze guilty on nine counts, including money laundering, abuse of official authority, illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities, and exceeding official powers, and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.