Tbilisi Court grants ₾ 30,000 bail to Maritime Agency Head in firearm negligence case

The Tbilisi City Court has set a 30,000 GEL bail for Aleksi Akhvlediani, Director of Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency, following his arrest in connection with the alleged negligent storage of a firearm. The pistol in question was reportedly used by former Adjara Government Chairman Tornike Rizhvadze in an attempted suicide on July 7.

Judge Eka Barbakadze announced the decision during a high-attendance courtroom session on July 8, granting Akhvlediani release from pre-trial detention while the case proceeds. The bail must be paid within 20 days, and the next pre-trial hearing is scheduled for August 27 at 15:00.

Akhvlediani, 55, faces charges under Article 238 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which addresses improper firearm storage and carries a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison. Prosecutors allege that Akhvlediani had left his registered Glock pistol unattended in a glassed-in gazebo adjacent to his home in Sagarejo. According to investigators, Rizhvadze retrieved the weapon and shot himself in the chest while alone in a guest bedroom, sustaining serious lung damage. He remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition at Tbilisi’s First University Clinic.

“I have never committed a crime and am ready to fully cooperate with the investigation,” Akhvlediani stated in court, adding, “Thank God Tornike is alive.”

His defense attorney, Lali Aptsiauri, echoed his commitment to transparency:

“We have reviewed the case files and will fully cooperate with the prosecution,” she told reporters before the hearing.

Akhvlediani was detained on July 7 and initially held at the Sagarejo police department, before being transferred to a Tbilisi detention center. His lawyer previously described him as being in a state of deep emotional distress.

Meanwhile, a separate investigation under Article 115—which deals with incitement to suicide—is ongoing. A note found on Rizhvadze reportedly cited political and personal pressures, urging protection for his family.

Rizhvadze served as head of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara from 2018 until his resignation in April 2025.