Opposition Leaders Resummoned by Georgian Dream’s Investigative Commission

Three opposition politicians, including Giorgi Gakharia, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Nika Gvaramia, have been re-summoned by the Georgian Dream parliament’s temporary investigative commission, formally tasked with probing alleged crimes committed by former United National Movement officials and others.

Gakharia, ex-Georgian Dream Prime Minister, who, unlike other opposition leaders, testified at the commission in April, was summoned again after Georgian Prosecutors started probing him over posting a police checkpoint near the occupation line in 2019, when he was the interior minister.

Nika Gvaramia, currently in pretrial detention for refusing to pay bail after boycotting the commission, received a second summons while in custody, his party Ahali reported on June 17. The letter sent to Gvaramia says he can testify online.

Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the Lelo for Georgia party, who also boycotted the commission but walks free after posting bail, also said he received a repeated summons.

Khazaradze and Gvaramia, both re-summoned to appear on June 30 over what the Commission describes as “actions taken to the detriment of Georgia’s foreign policy goals in 2012–2025,” said they won’t be going. Gakharia is yet to announce his decision.

Non-compliance with Parliament’s temporary investigative commission is a criminal offense, which can be punished by up to one year in prison or a fine, with a three-year ban from holding public office. Criminal cases for defying the GD commission are ongoing against those who boycotted the commission, refusing to grant legitimacy to Georgian Dream’s one-party parliament.

Three opposition politicians – Nika Gvaramia, Zurab Japaridze, and Nika Melia were sent to pre-trial detention over refusing to post bail, while Giorgi Vashadze of Strategy Agmashenebeli, as well as Lelo’s Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze, await their rulings after bailing themselves out. Ex-Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili was also remanded in custody over the boycott.

Final verdicts for Vashadze and Japaridze are expected to be announced in the coming days. The cases are widely considered to be politically motivated.

The GD commission, chaired by Tea Tsulukiani, is addressing topics including alleged torture, business racketeering, and the August 2008 war, which it blames on the former UNM government and ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgian Dream says the commission’s final report will be submitted to the country’s Constitutional Court to ban the UNM and its “successor parties.” The party has said it plans to ban the opposition by the end of the year.

Also Read:

• 15/04/2025 – Gakharia Points to Ivanishvili While GD Pushes U.S. Interference Line Over His 2021 Resignation
• 01/09/2019 – Chorchana Checkpoint Escalation: an Incident or a Trend?

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