Court sentences Giorgi Gakharia to imprisonment in absentia over Chorchana case

Tbilisi City Court has ordered imprisonment as a preventive measure for former Prime Minister and current chairman of the For Georgia party, Giorgi Gakharia, in connection with the Chorchana case.

The court’s decision upheld the motion of the Prosecutor’s Office, while Gakharia — currently outside Georgia — was sentenced in absentia.

The defence had requested that no preventive measure be applied, arguing that the charges were politically motivated and groundless. According to Gakharia’s lawyer, Berdia Sichinava, the Chorchana case represents “a historic case when the Georgian state acts against its own national interests, territorial integrity, and sovereignty through specific individuals and mechanisms.”

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has accused Gakharia of abuse of power, claiming that as Minister of Internal Affairs in 2019, he unilaterally decided to install an additional police checkpoint along the occupation line near the village of Chorchana — without coordination with the Prime Minister, the State Security Service, or the EU Monitoring Mission.

“The investigation has established that on August 24, 2019, the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Giorgi Gakharia, who was simultaneously Secretary and permanent member of the National Security Council, ignoring the authority of the National Security Council and without coordinating with the Prime Minister of Georgia, and also without coordination with the State Security Service of Georgia and without informing the European Union Monitoring Mission, unilaterally decided to erect an additional police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana along the occupation line [Tskhinvali region].

This incident was also widely covered in the media, initiated and supported by Giorgi Gakharia.

Unsurprisingly, representatives of the occupation regime exploited these actions as a pretext for measures aimed against Georgia’s territorial integrity. Specifically, on September 5, 2019, illegal armed formations of the de facto Tskhinvali regime occupied heights on territory controlled by the Georgian authorities; approximately one hundred hectares of forest have fallen under the control of the occupying forces. Various illegal activities took place, including the movement of heavy military equipment towards populated areas, thereby creating a genuine threat of armed conflict between the parties. Additionally, residential houses in the villages of Kobi and Tsnelisi in Khashuri municipality fell under occupation.

Through these actions, Giorgi Gakharia deliberately exceeded the limits of his official authority, which caused substantial violation of the legitimate interests of society and the state,” the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia said at a briefing on November 12.

The Tbilisi City Court is also expected to consider another preventive measure later today in a separate case against Gakharia related to the June 20–21, 2019 events, with the hearing scheduled for 8:00 p.m.