Levan Antadze, a member of the United National Movement (UNM) party, has stated that a lawyer has been appointed for Levan Varshalomidze and that both the Foreign Ministry and its Minister are involved in his case.

“Based on our information, Levan Varshalomidze was detained upon arrival in Kazakhstan at the request of the Russian Federation. A criminal case has been initiated against him for his political consulting work with the Ukrainian government.

A lawyer has been retained, and the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively engaged in the case, with the Minister being kept informed. The Ukrainian authorities are also involved at the highest level. We anticipate that Levan Varshalomidze will be released as soon as possible. While I have not yet communicated with the lawyer, I have heard of their expertise. We hope that this situation regarding Georgia-Kazakhstan relations will be resolved swiftly,” he stated.

On March 18, the United National Movement announced that Levan Varshalomidze, the former head of the Adjara government, was detained in Kazakhstan while crossing the airport border. According to the UNM, this detention is likely connected to information provided by Russia concerning a criminal case related to Varshalomidze’s political consulting activities with the Ukrainian government.