Opposition leader granted ₾50,000 bail in parliamentary inquiry case

Tbilisi City Court on Wednesday granted bail to Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the Lelo – Strong Georgia party, after he was charged with failing to comply with a request from the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Georgian Parliament looking into alleged crimes under the previous United National Movement government between 2003-2012.

Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili ruled that Khazaradze must post a 50,000-GEL bail within 30 days as a preventive measure. The decision followed a hearing on Tuesday, where state prosecutors sought the imposition of bail, while the defense argued for his release without any preventive measures.

Khazaradze, who was present at the hearing, was summoned by the parliamentary commission on March 25 but rejected to appear. Following this, he provided testimony before a magistrate judge.

The politician has been charged under Article 349 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which penalizes non-compliance with parliamentary commission requests. The offense carries potential penalties ranging from a fine to imprisonment for up to one year, or restrictions on holding public office or engaging in certain activities for up to three years.