Opposition Politician Mamuka Khazaradze Ordered to Pay GEL 50,000 Bail
Tbilisi City Court judge Arsen Kalatozishvili today, April 2, granted the prosecutor’s request and ordered the leader of the opposition Lelo party, Mamuka Khazaradze, to pay GEL 50,000 (about USD 18,200) bail for refusing to appear before the Georgian Dream parliament’s temporary investigative commission probing alleged UNM-era crimes.
“I do not recognize an illegitimate parliament and the commission it has created…This is my unwavering protest, and this protest will be solid. No decision can change this belief of mine,” Khazaradze told reporters after the court hearing. He declined to confirm whether he would post bail.
Another Lelo leader, Badri Japaridze, also refused to appear before the commission. With the prosecutor’s office investigating his refusal at the commission’s request, he could face the same legal sanctions. Non-compliance with a parliamentary investigative commission’s request is a criminal offense, punishable by a fine or up to a year in prison.
The GD parliamentary commission, initially tasked with investigating alleged systemic crimes during the United National Movement’s rule from 2003 to 2012, has had its mandate extended to cover the period from 2003 to the present, following a decision by the GD rump parliament, allegedly to target those opposition politicians and individuals as well who were not part of the UNM government. The commission today summoned three leaders of the opposition Coalition for Change – Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, and Zurab Japaridze. None are expected to appear, however, as opposition figures who reject the legitimacy of the one-party parliament after the disputed 2024 elections continue to boycott any of its work.
The GD plans to send the final report of its investigative commission to the country’s Constitutional Court and, based on the report, to ban the UNM and what it calls its “successor parties,” which include the main pro-European opposition forces.
Also Read:
- 01/04/2025 – Hard-Pressed, GD Brings the War Back into Focus
- 14/02/2025 – Tea Tsulukiani to Chair Parliamentary Commission Investigating UNM Government
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