Court’s Clarification – Why Lawsuit of Bidzina Ivanishvili and Ekaterina Khvedelidze Was Partly Satisfied

The Court spread information about the Tbilisi City Court’s December 27 judgment on Bidzina Ivanishvili and Ekaterina Khvedelidze’s lawsuit.

“According to the December 27, 2011 judgment of the Administrative Collegium of the Tbilisi City Court, the lawsuit of Bidzina Ivanishvili and Ekaterina Khvedelidze was partly satisfied. The President’s decree on annulling Ekaterina Khvedelidze’s Georgian citizenship was annulled by the Court though the lawsuit on Bidzina Ivanishvili’s citizenship was not satisfied. The suitors requested to annul the President’s decree which stripped of their Georgian citizenships. The Court concluded that Bidzina Ivanishvili had breached the Article 32 –“d” of the Organic Law of Georgia on Georgian Citizenship by obtaining French Citizenship after he had received the Georgian citizenship; consequently, Ivanishvili had automatically lost the Georgian citizenship.”

Concerning Ekaterina Khvedelidze’s suit, the Court noted that since she already held Russian and French citizenships when obtaining Georgian citizenship, unlike Bidzina Ivanishvili’s case, the stripping of Georgian Citizenship from Ekaterina Khvedelidze was not lawful decision.

The court also concluded that Bidzina Ivanishvili and Ekaterina Khvedelidze were not properly informed about annulment of their citizenships as well as their involvement in administrative proceeding since the CRA and Georgian President are not obliged under the Law to inform them about the decree.

In order to ensure the proper preparation of the parties (their representatives) for the trial, in accordance to the Georgian Administrative and Civil Procedural Codes, the preparatory session of the court was held on December 5, 2011 and main hearings were held on December 12, 20 and 22, 2011.

The Tbilisi City Court indicates that the judgment can be appealed at the Administrative Collegium of the Appeal Court (Grigol Robakidze Street 7a, Tbilisi) with the support Administrative Collegium of the Tbilisi City Court (Davit Agmashenebeli lane 12th km # 6) within 14 days after the moment of grounded judgment is handed to the parties.”

IPN