Court orders pre-trial detention for Former Defence Minister Akhalaia

The Tbilisi City Court on Saturday ordered pre-trial detention for former Georgian Defence Minister Bacho Akhalaia as a preventive measure.

The decision was delivered by Judge Maia Melkadze following a court hearing held behind closed doors. The prosecution requested the closure of the session, citing the presence of State Security Service employees among the witnesses and the need to protect their personal information. Akhalaia opposed the move, stating that the Security Service representatives had threatened him and that the hearing should therefore have remained open.

After the court granted the prosecution’s motion to close the hearing, Akhalaia left the courtroom in protest.

Akhalaia’s wife, relatives and representatives of political parties were present at the courthouse. However, his wife, Ani Nadareishvili, was not allowed to attend the hearing. According to the judge, her procedural status in the case - whether as a defendant or a witness - has not yet been determined.

Akhalaia was arrested by the State Security Service in connection with the events of October 4. He has been charged under Article 225, Part One of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which concerns organising and leading group violence and carries a potential sentence of up to nine years’ imprisonment.