Judge annuls pretrial measure for opposition leader Ugulava due to his arrest in separate case
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A Tbilisi City Court judge has annulled the pretrial measure for former Tbilisi Mayor, now leader of the European Georgia opposition party Gigi Ugulava, for an incident at Tbilisi International Airport in December 2019 as he was arrested earlier this year for another case for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL of state funds while in office.
The judge said that there was no need for the use of the pretrial measure and also annulled the court’s previous decision to take away Ugulava’s passport , as ‘now there are no threats of his going on the run.’
Ugulava was charged with physical assault after an incident involving athletes at Tbilisi International Airport on December 11, 2019.
He said that the incident was ‘staged.’
Ugulava was sentenced to three years and two months in prison by the Georgian Supreme Court on February 10, 2020 for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL from Tbilisi Municipal Development fund while in office.
Leader of the European Georgia opposition party, former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava who has been imprisoned for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL in state funds, says that he does not want the opposition’s demand for his release to create an obstacle in reaching an agreement [with the ruling party] on the 2020 election issue.
The Georgian opposition parties plan to nominate joint majoritarian candidates if the upcoming parliamentary elections later this year will be held per the existing electoral system, with 77 seats in the legislative body distributed via proportional voting and the remaining 73 via the majoritarian system.
British Embassy to Georgia has stated that the recent sentencing of opposition European Georgia leader Gigi Ugulava “leaves unanswered questions” concerning the timing and process. "As a friend and a strategic partner”, it encourages steps “to narrow divisions and reinforce democracy” in Georgia.
Leader of European Georgia opposition party and ex-Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava has been sentenced to three years and two months in prison by Georgian Supreme Court for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL from Tbilisi Municipal Development fund while in office. In February 2018 the Tbilisi Court of Appeals also sentenced Ugulava to one year and three months to prison in the case. However, the sentence was absorbed by another sentence Ugulava faced.
Former leader of European Georgia opposition party and former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava has stated that the government is ‘continuing political persecution’ against him, noting that a trial has been scheduled for May 13 for a case he was charged in back in 2019.
The united opposition, which currently includes the United National Movement (UNM), European Georgia, Droa and Girchi-More Freedom opposition parties, ‘are very likely’ to nominate former Tbilisi mayor under the UNM Gigi Ugulava for mayor of Poti in western Georgia in the October 2 municipal race, UNM head Nika Melia stated earlier today.