On November 21 2008 Badri Kajaia, former chairperson of the Batumi Municipality Board, was arrested for the illegal purchase and procession of controlled narcotics. Special Operative Department detained Kajaia in Era Street and charged him under Article 260 of the Criminal Code. Roin Kakhidze, and then the Batumi City Court imposed a two-month pre-trial term of imprisonment on Kajaia.
Neither members of municipality board nor members of the Republican Party within the local governmental authority have agreed to openly comment on the circumstances of the imprisonment of Kajaia.
The detainee had been chairing the municipality board for just over two years. Incidentally he officially resigned from his position a week before the detention, which was back on November 14. Even the actual reason for his unexpected resignation has not been announced. Following his sudden resignation, Kajaia was then appointed as a deputy head of road department under the same municipality board. However, before that, it was claimed that Kajaia resigned because he intended to seek an international education outside of Georgia. Anyway, he had not totally discontinued his activities as the Chairman of the municipality board.
Representatives of the Georgian Public Defender in Adjara Autonomous Republic tried to meet Badri Kajaia in the detention facility, however, the former chairperson refused to meet with them.
Maka Malakmadze