Ex-Defense Minister Okruashvili’s case referred to Prosecutor’s Office for not appearing before parliamentary commission

The Georgian Parliament’s Temporary Investigative Commission has referred the case of former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili to the Prosecutor’s Office after he failed to appear before the committee investigating alleged crimes committed under the United National Movement (UNM) government between 2003 and 2012.

The decision was made during the commission’s session, where Chairperson Tea Tsulukiani stated that Okruashvili was officially summoned but refused to accept the notification. According to Tsulukiani, Okruashvili was contacted via phone and informed of the hearing, after which he requested a written notice. Despite multiple delivery attempts, including at his residence in Tbilisi and his family home in Tkviavi, he declined to accept the summons. Additionally, he reportedly followed the session online but still failed to appear.

Parliament has also referred the cases of opposition party Lelo leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze to the Prosecutor’s Office for a similar failure to attend hearings.

The Temporary Investigative Commission was proposed by Georgian Dream (GD) on January 9, 2025, to examine alleged human rights abuses, business intimidation, media takeovers, and crimes related to the 2008 Russia-Georgia war under the UNM government. Officially established on February 5 with an 83-member majority vote, the commission operates for three months and is chaired by former Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani. It consists of eight members, including five from Georgian Dream, with opposition seats held by People’s Power and European Socialists representatives.

The commission aligns with Georgian Dream’s long-standing pledge to ban the UNM and deliver a strict political and legal verdict against it.