UNM MP sends insulting text message to Tbilisi City Court Judge

The Judge of the trial of former government high official Bachana (Bacho) Akhalaia received an abusive text message from Georgian United National Movement (UNM) Parliament Member (MP) Akaki Minashvili following Akhalaia’s guilty verdict.

"Tbilisi City Court condemns this action and assesses it as a discredit of the Court. A Member of Parliament should be an example to others and respect the decision of the Court,” read the statement of Tbilisi City Court on its official website.

The Court also noted that MP Minashvili’s comments of the case on were far from the ethical norms.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili assessed the situation as a form of pressure on the independent court and stated that nobody has the right to do so.

"This is categorically unacceptable. I urge everyone who deals with this issue to properly investigate the case,” Garibashvili said at today’s cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile in response to the Court’s statement, Minashvili publically released the content of the text message he sent to Judge Bugianishvili. It read: "Show this to anyone you want – I am saying simply and publicly: You are everyone’s slave!”

Tbilisi City Court yesterday sentenced Akhalaia, Georgia’s former Interior Minister, to seven years and six months in prison. Akhalaia previously served as the country's Defence Minister and head of the Penitentiary Department of the Justice Ministry.

Akhalaia was found guilty of torturing prisoners in the 2006 Navtlugi Special Operation case. The ex-official was also found guilty of abusing authority when "he gave privileged prison conditions” to ex-officials arrested for the Girgvliani murder case. The Court delivered a verdict of not guilty for Akhalaia for his charge of exceeding official authority.

Akhalaia has been held in pre-trial detention since November 2012. Before receiving a guilty verdict yesterday, he was acquitted in several separate cases.