Zurab Girchi Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, has had his bail conditions replaced with imprisonment as a preventive measure.

The decision was made by Judge Irakli Shvangiradze of Tbilisi City Court. Japaridze was arrested directly in the courtroom during the hearing.

The reason for changing the preventive measure was his failure to pay the required bail amount.

On April 16, Japaridze was ordered to pay GEL 20,000 in bail as a preventive measure for failing to appear before Parliament’s temporary investigative commission studying activities of the 2003-2012 government and its officials. His deadline to pay the bail expired on May 18.

Based on a request from the temporary investigative commission, the prosecutor’s office charged Japaridze under Article 349 of the Criminal Code, which concerns “failure to comply with the demands of Georgia’s Parliament’s temporary investigative commission.”

The charge carries potential penalties, including a fine, up to one year of imprisonment, or disqualification from holding public office or engaging in certain activities for up to three years.