Judge refuses to question senior ruling party MPs in case involving opposition figures

Judge Irakli Shvangiradze of the Tbilisi City Court has refused to summon Thea Tsulukiani, chairwoman of the Georgian Dream's temporary investigative commission on alleged crimes under the United National Movement Governmnet, and her fellow commission members as witnesses in the ongoing case against opposition politician Badri Japaridze.

The decision was announced during a pre-trial hearing on Monday, where Japaridze’s lawyers sought to question Tsulukiani and other commission members, arguing that they held crucial information related to the investigation. However, the prosecution maintained that questioning them was unnecessary, citing “sufficient existing evidence.”

Japaridze, leader of the Strong Georgia party, is charged under Article 349 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which addresses failure to comply with a temporary investigative commission’s request. The charge carries a penalty of a fine or up to one year in prison. Japaridze has been released on bail set at 50,000 GEL.

His lawyer, Zviad Kordzadze, has criticized the charges, arguing that the investigation should be dropped due to legal violations. Kordzadze claimed the commission was illegal, pointing to an alleged violation of the legal 50-50 composition rule between opposition and majority members, as two representatives from Giorgi Gakharia’s party refused to join, questioning the commission’s legitimacy.

Additionally, Kordzadze disputed the validity of the protocol used to summon Japaridze, which is signed only by the commission's chair, Tsulukiani, rather than both the chair and the secretary, as mandated by commission rules.

Speaking in court, Japaridze accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of using the commission as a tool of political revenge against opposition figures, stating, "the investigative commission should ensure equal representation of opposition members, but instead, it is dominated by the ruling party."

The next substantive hearing in Japaridze’s case is set for July 2.

The case is one of several involving opposition figures accused of non-compliance with the commission, including Zura Japaridze, Giorgi Vashadze, and Nika Gvaramia, all of whom were granted bail. Former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, who refused to pay bail, was detained on May 14.

The Georgian Dream party established the temporary investigative commission on February 5 to examine the period of the United National Movement government. Critics argue the commission is being used to target opposition parties that do not recognize the legitimacy of the current government.