Penitentiary Service refutes claims over Garibashvili’s cancelled visit, stating inmate has fully exhausted legal visitation quota

Convicted former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is entitled to two long-term visits per year and one short-term visit per month, and has fully exhausted these allowances, the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia stated in an official release.

The agency’s statement comes in response to remarks made by the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, following his visit to Garibashvili. Ioseliani had claimed that a visit scheduled for the convict as a performance incentive was cancelled due to ongoing infrastructure works at the penitentiary facility.

“The Special Penitentiary Service responds to the statement made by the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, after he met with convict Irakli Garibashvili, alleging that a visit scheduled as an incentive was cancelled owing to infrastructure works within the penitentiary facility. We state categorically and unequivocally that no such visit was ever scheduled, and consequently, none could have been cancelled.

Furthermore, we clarify once again that under the regulations governing closed-type facilities, where convict Garibashvili is held, he is entitled to two long-term visits annually and one short-term visit per month, limits which he has fully exhausted.

Regarding the granting of an additional visit to an incarcerated person by an incentive, this requires an official order issued by the director of the penitentiary facility, which was never issued in convict Garibashvili’s case. Therefore, routine infrastructure works, which are conducted periodically across all penitentiary facilities, played no role whatsoever. No visit was scheduled, nor was any visit cancelled,” the official statement concluded.