The Gakharia for Georgia party has formally requested that parliament’s temporary investigative commission allow former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia to testify remotely on July 2 at 11:30 a.m.

In a letter to the commission, Gakharia’s representatives cited his pre-planned overseas commitments and argued that commission regulations permit remote participation for witnesses abroad.

“As you are well aware, Giorgi Gakharia is currently abroad attending meetings scheduled several weeks in advance. Given his busy itinerary and the limited timeframe of the commission, we once again affirm our readiness to facilitate his remote participation at the requested time—July 2, 2025, at 11:30 a.m.—under Article 6, Paragraph 9 of your commission’s regulations,” the appeal reads.

The party accused the commission of discrimination, noting that other witnesses were allowed to testify remotely.

“It should also be emphasized that during your investigative commission’s ongoing sessions, explanations and clarifications have been obtained remotely and publicly from several individuals, including Giorgi Burjanadze, Mikheil Kareli, Gocha Kakoishvili, Nona Kaulashvili, David Bakradze, and others. Accordingly, refusing remote questioning for Giorgi Gakharia constitutes a discriminatory approach, representing a clear and gross violation of Georgia’s Constitution, principles and norms of international law, and our procedural legislation, including the regulations of the Georgian Parliament. Notably, Article 9, Paragraph 6 of your commission’s regulations considers a person being abroad as a necessary precondition for remote questioning—this condition is met in Gakharia’s case,” the appeal reads.

The letter claims commission members have shown bias by prejudging Gakharia as “responsible/guilty” before hearing testimony, violating the constitutional presumption of innocence.

“We find it unacceptable that one of your commission members, before the commission’s formal decision, preemptively recorded a position regarding the necessity of employing a critical questioning approach toward Giorgi Gakharia—labelling him as responsible or guilty—before any substantive findings or legal determinations have been made. Such actions directly contradict the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence, protected by Georgia’s Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, and procedural legislation, which stipulate that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty through a lawful process culminating in a final court verdict,” the appeal reads.

The party warned that refusing remote testimony suggests the commission may be “maliciously using its mandate” against Gakharia rather than genuinely seeking answers about the investigation’s subject matter.

The Investigative Commission has inquiries related to Giorgi Gakharia spanning the years 2012 to 2025. Gakharia served as interior minister and later prime minister.