Court acquits former Tbilisi Mayor Ugulava on 2019 assault incident

Tbilisi City Court has acquitted former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava of a 2019 incident at Tbilisi International Airport, in a case where the judge said not enough evidence had been obtained to clearly point to the wrongdoing party.

Ugulava had been charged with violence against Georgian judo wrestler Badri Gavashelishvili in a physical altercation between the former Mayor and his United National Movement party colleague Goka Gabashvili on the one hand, and Gavashelishvili and his associates on the other, in the departure terminal of the airport.

• Former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava charged with physical assault after incident at Tbilisi Airport

In his comments, Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili said details of the beginning of the clash between the two groups would be required to establish the assaulting party and those engaged in self-defence.

Kochlamazashvili said the court needed additional evidence to clearly point to the wrongdoing side in the incident, which he said had not been presented. The circumstances led to the acquittal of Ugulava in the case.

The former Tbilisi Mayor said he was not satisfied with the ruling, calling it “not a triumph of justice” and accusing the judiciary of remaining “silent” with the decision. Ugulava said “Badri Gavashelishvili will definitely be punished, and this case will end when he publicly says who instructed him and how much they paid him in this case.”