Public Defender comments on Tbilisi Mayor's case

Public Defender of Georgia Ucha Nanuashvili says it was no violation of law to suspend Tbilisi Mayor from the post without any oral hearing at the court, though there was no need of this either.

Nanuahsvili issued a written statement about the issue on December 24. "There was no need for the court to discuss the request of the Prosecutors office without any oral hearing at 00:15 AM, the statement reads.

The Ombudsmen also believes that since there was a high public interest about the issue, and also Gigi Ugulava was a directly elected official, the representatives of the both sides should have been presented at the hearing.

Tbilisi Mayor, Gigi Ugualva was suspended from his mayoral post on December 22. The decision was made by the judge who also held the hearing on the second motion of the prosecution and did not sentence Ugulava to detention. Instead of this, Judge Dali Metreveli released Ugulava on 50 thousand GEL bail. Ugulava is charged with embezzlement of GEL 48 million GEL (28 million USD) of public money.