Tbilisi court sets bail for opposition leader Vashadze over investigation commission no-show

The Tbilisi City Court has set bail at 50,000 GEL for Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the opposition Strategy Agmashenebeli party, citing his failure to appear before 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.

Vashadze was summoned to a session of the temporary investigative
commission on Wednesday chaired by Vice Speaker Thea Tsulukiani.

Among opposition leaders, only Giorgi Gakharia – head of the For Georgia party and former prime minister – attended the session earlier this month. Criminal cases have been launched against those who failed to appear. Bail has been imposed as a preventive measure on several politicians, including Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze (50,000 GEL each), Irakli Okruashvili (20,000 GEL), Givi Targamadze (10,000 GEL), and Zurab Japaridze (20,000 GEL).

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.