Tbilisi City Court has denied former Defence Minister of Georgia Irakli Okruashvili’s appeal for bail, with the judge saying that “there is a chance Okruashvili may go on the run or influence on witnesses if released on bail.”
The court discusses whether or not to change the preventive measure of detention once a month.
No new evidence has emerged in the case and Okruashvili was left in pretrial detention,” Prosecutor Giorgi Mukbaniani said after today’s court session.
Okruashvili was charged with incitement to group violence during the June 2019 protests in Tbilisi, which is punishable by six to nine years in prison.
Earlier he was denied bail on July 27, 2019.
Okruahsvili served as prosecutor general, interior and defence ministers under the United National Movement government of Georgia.
After opposing former president and ally Mikheil Saakashvili back in 2007, he was detained on corruption charges.
Okruashvili left for France several days after he was released, where he lived until 2012.
He came back to Georgia in winter 2012, shortly after the Georgian Dream leadership defeated the nine-year-rule of the United National Movement leadership.
Currently he chairs the Victorious Georgia opposition party and is “fighting to regain his shares” of the Rustavi 2 channel.