Court imposes bail on opposition leader Melia for ignoring investigative commission summons

Tbilisi City Court has imposed a 50,000 GEL bail on Nika Melia, one of the leaders of the opposition Coalition for Change, for failing to comply with a summons of a parliamentary investigative commission formed by the ruling Georgian Dream party to probe alleged crimes under the previous United National Movement Government between 2003-2012.

The prosecution argued that there is a risk Melia could evade justice or commit a new offense, citing his past disregard for legal obligations. They assessed his financial capacity and concluded that the bail amount would serve as an effective deterrent.

Melia’s defense team rejected the charges, calling the parliamentary commission unconstitutional and politically motivated. His lawyer claimed there was no legal basis for pre-trial restrictions and emphasized that Melia has no criminal record. Speaking in court, Melia accused the prosecution of serving political interests rather than justice and called the bail “unjust.” The judge clarified that the legitimacy of the investigative commission was not under review during the hearing.

The Georgian Dream-led Parliament established the commission on February 5 to investigate actions during the UNM’s time in power. The ruling party says it aims to “ban the collective National Movement” – a label it uses to describe major opposition parties that passed the threshold in the 2024 parliamentary elections but refuse to recognize the current government’s legitimacy.