Alleged ‘Coup Plotter’ Remanded

Tbilisi City Court on December 26 remanded in custody for two months former judge Marina Gabunia, who has been charged with taking part in a conspiracy to overthrow the government.

MP Valery Gelbakhiani, a close political associate of presidential candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili, has already been declared an official suspect in the same alleged conspiracy. Gelbakhiani has since fled the country, but said he was willing to give testimony to investigators, provided he was first granted a meeting with representatives from either the EU or UN.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation into “an attempt to forcefully overthrow the government” was launched on December 17, after Irakli Kodua, head of the Interior Ministry’s Special Operations Department (SOD), notified investigators that Marina Gabunia and Valery Gelbakhiani had tried to bribe him in exchange for taking part in the alleged conspiracy.

Tbilisi City Court said in a statement that Gabunia hadn’t been released on bail as she had refused to cooperate with investigators.

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