Lawyer challenges prosecution evidence in ex-UNM official Akhalaia trial

A lawyer representing former Georgian defence minister Bacho Akhalaia has challenged the prosecution's evidence against his client, arguing that investigators have failed to provide proof supporting the charges brought against him.

Akhalaia was arrested on 25 December last year in connection with events that took place in Tbilisi on 4 October. The authorities claim  the opposition had attempted the coup on the day. Prosecutors charged him under Article 225, Part 1 of Georgia's Criminal Code with organising and leading group violence, an offence punishable by up to nine years in prison.

Speaking after a court hearing on Wednesday, defence lawyer Gia Gorozia said the case did not meet even the standard of reasonable suspicion and expressed confidence that the court would ultimately acquit Akhalaia.

He claimed the prosecution has not presented any concrete evidence showing that Akhalaia used technical devices to communicate with specific individuals, a claim he said is central to the case.

"There is no such evidence in the case file," Gorozia said. "The charges cannot be proven. They are based on assumptions, and we believe the court will deliver an acquittal."

The lawyer also questioned the basis on which the charges were brought, saying he had never encountered a case that, in his view, fell short of the threshold required even to establish suspicion.

On 27 March, prosecutors filed a second charge against Akhalaia under Article 317 of the Criminal Code, accusing him of publicly calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and state authority. The offence carries a maximum sentence of up to three years' imprisonment.