Supreme Court overturns acquittal in attempted murder case

Georgia’s Supreme Court has overturned a lower court acquittal and found a man guilty of attempted premeditated murder, sentencing him to 11 years in prison.

The case stems from an incident on 30 April 2023 in the village of Vardisubani, in the Telavi Municipality in eastern Georgia, where the defendant stabbed the victim with a knife in what prosecutors described as a revenge-motivated attack. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries but survived due to emergency medical intervention.

The defendant was initially charged under Articles 19 and 108 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which pertain to attempted premeditated murder. However, both the Telavi District Court and the Tbilisi Court of Appeal acquitted the accused.

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia challenged the rulings, taking the case to the Supreme Court. In its final judgment, the court fully upheld the prosecution’s appeal, finding the defendant guilty and imposing an 11-year custodial sentence.