Despite a guilty plea and the existence of credible public evidence of corruption, the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili raises serious concerns as to whether the proceedings met fair trial standards, reads a report adopted by the European Parliament on Georgia.

According to the report, the case reflects broader concerns about politically influenced justice, informal power structures and internal divisions within the ruling Georgian Dream party, including the role of Bidzina Ivanishvili;

“The European Parliament deplores the continued attempts by the ruling Georgian Dream party to persecute political opponents, including through illegal arrest and detention, threats and physical attacks; condemns the imprisonment of political opponents for refusing to appear before the Temporary Investigative Commission of the de facto parliament of Georgia, which was used by Georgian Dream as a form of political show trial aimed at opening the way for the further persecution of political opponents and the banning of opposition parties; stresses that the existence of political prisoners is incompatible with Georgia’s obligations under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all those imprisoned on political grounds, including opposition politicians and former officials; notes that two opposition politicians were pardoned by the de facto president ahead of the municipal elections to ensure a semblance of competitive elections; strongly reiterates its demand for the immediate release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili on humanitarian grounds for the purpose of him seeking the necessary medical treatment abroad; calls, furthermore, on the Georgian Dream authorities to ensure that Members of the European Parliament are granted unhindered access to Mikheil Saakashvili and other political prisoners”, reads the document.

In addition, according to the report, “The European Parliament regrets the lack of progress made on de-oligarchisation and calls on the Georgian authorities to adopt a systemic approach in line with relevant Venice Commission recommendations, including through strengthened transparency requirements, effective conflict of interest rules and safeguards against undue influence over political and economic decision-making”.