Tbilisi City Court decided to imprison former defence minister Bacho Akhalaia as a preventive measure, Judge Meia Melkadze announced.

The court hearing was held behind closed doors. As the Prosecutor’s Office argued, there was a risk of disclosing personal information of State Security Service (SSSG) employees. Akhalaia said the SSSG officers menaced him and insisted on a public hearing. He left the court hall in protest.

Bacho Akhalaia’s spouse Ana Nadareishvili, relatives and representatives of political parties were present in the court. Ana Nadareishvili was disallowed from attending the hearing. The judge explained that it was not yet decided whether she had the status of a defendant or a witness in this case.

For context, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) arrested former Defence Minister of Georgia Bacho Akhalaia (2009-2012) on December 26 in connection with the October 4 case. The agency identified Bacho Akhalaia as “the leader and principal organiser of the criminal events.”

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office indicted former Defence Minister Bacho Akhalaia on the charge of supervising and organizing group violence. The charge under Part 1, Article 225 of the Criminal Code of Georgia pertains to up to 9 years in prison as a punishment measure.