ECHR rules “no ulterior purpose” in removal of former Tbilisi Mayor Ugulava from political scene with 2014 arrest

The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday ruled the 2014 arrest and detention of Gigi Ugulava, the former Mayor of Tbilisi under the United National Movement Government, by Georgian Dream authorities on charges of money laundering had been based on legitimate suspicions that he might be a “flight risk or otherwise harm the investigation”.

The court also ruled there was no “sufficient evidence” to suggest an “ulterior motive” by authorities in their removal of Ugulava from the political scene with the detention. However, it also found the manner in which the period ordered from April 2 until September 17, 2015 had been imposed had not been “sufficient” to protect the applicant from arbitrariness.

In its ruling, the Court ruled the state institutions had failed to account for the passage of time and changing circumstances in ordering further detention from February 18, 2015 onwards in one of the trials related to the former Mayor, and ordered the authorities to pay the applicant €10,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage.

The case concerned the arrest of Ugulava in July 2014 and his pretrial detention until September 2015. The former official had been wanted in connection with money laundering and other charges, with several criminal proceedings against him taking place in parallel.

Ugulava had alleged that his arrest and pretrial detention had been against the law, and that no reasons had been given for the detention. Lastly, he claimed a political motive behind his pretrial detention.