Former Tbilisi Mayor detained
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Tbilisi’s ousted Mayor Gigi Ugulava was detained early this morning as he attempted to board a plane bound for Kiev, Ukraine.
Ugulava, who is one leader of political party United National Movement (UNM), was with another UNM party leader when he was detained at Tbilisi International Aiport that dawn this morning.
As he was arrested, Ugulava told journalists at the airport that he was on his way to Kiev with Giga Bokeria and he planned to return to Tbilisi later this afternoon, as he had been summoned for questioning by the Finance Ministry’s investigative service on July 4.
Ugulava was handcuffed and escorted to a waiting police vehicle where he was transferred to the Interior Ministry’s detention facility, where he is currently.
No additional charges have been filed against Ugulava yet however it is expected the Finance Ministry’s investigative service will make a statement at midday today.
Ugulava is facing several criminal charges. The most recent charges were brought against Ugulava on June 30, which related to unlawfully spending state funds.
He was charged for signing an agreement on behalf of the Government with ‘City Park’, a car parking management firm in Tbilisi in December 2007. It is alleged he squandered 1,086,718 GEL state funds in favour of ‘City Park’, which saw the company gain additional advantages.
Yesterday, Tbilisi City Court decided not to grant preventative detention to Ugulava, who is also facing charges embezzling more than a million GEL from the state budget.
Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office asked the Tbilisi City Court to impose a bail bond of 50,000 GEL and for Ugulava to surrender his passport and identification card, with the aim of preventing him from travelling abroad, however this was rejected by the court.
Ugulava is also facing charges in several unrelated matters, including alienating TV Imedi in 2008 and Rike, exclusive territory on the Mtkvari riverbank in Old Tbilisi. He is also charged with misspending more than 70 million GEL from the Tbilisi Developing Fund, which was established in 2010 for the capital city’s rehabilitation.
Former Tbilisi Mayor and United National Movement (UNM) party leader Gigi Ugulava will not be held in preventative detention, a Tbilisi court ruled today.
The former Mayor has today been charged with embezzling more than a million GEL from the state budget.
The former Mayor of Tbilisi, Gigi Ugulava, will not be formally questioned for allegedly embezzling large amounts of state funds until the election runoff ends.
Georgia’s Prime Minister has faith in the upcoming local self-government elections and has issued a moratorium on legal proceedings against those involved in election campaigns to help ensure a free and fair election.
The former Mayor of Tbilisi has been slapped with another charge relating to illegally accumulating money for his political party.
Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili met with representatives of United National Movement in Kiev, Ukraine, last night where they discussed the charges against former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava.
The former Mayor of Tbilisi has been charged with organising group violence and coercion activity in Marneuli district during the June 15 local elections which violated public order.
Tbilisi City Court has imposed pre-trial detention on former Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava for organising group violence and coercion in Marneuli district during the June 15 local elections, which violated public order. He is also charged with illegally accumulating money for his political party.
The Georgian Dream coalition has spoken out about the detainment of ex-Tbilisi Mayor and says the subsequent verbal abuse by political party leaders and activists against the authorities was "unacceptable”.
The Georgian Government and the country’s ruling political party are at loggerheads over the charges imposed on former president Mikheil Saakashvili.