Two charged with negligence in Tbilisi residential home explosion given pretrial detention

A Tbilisi court has given two individuals charged with negligence for their responsibility in failing to detect a gas leak in a residential home in Tbilisi to pre-trial detention.

The explosion took place on 16 January, killing four and injuring eight.

The two individuals have pleaded not guilty and plan to appeal the court decision.

The next trial date has been scheduled for 14 March.

“They are charged with negligence, facing two to five years of imprisonment. When they arrived at the spot there was no smell of gas and the equipment showed that there was no leak”, lawyer Tamar Japaridze said before today’s court session.

The defence earlier requested that bail be granted and set at 50,000 for Vazel Mamamdiani and 10,000 for Tornike Tatishvili while the prosecutor requested detention.

17 January was observed as a day of national mourning.

Three victims of the explosion, Natia Tsitsvidze, her four-year-old daughter and her sister Nino Tsitsvidze, were buried today.