Ex-Energy Minister, Rustavi 2 TV Head Released on Bail

Tbilisi City Court ruled on Saturday to release former energy and finance minister Alexander Khetaguri and director of Rustavi 2 TV and former government member Nika Gvaramia on GEL 30,000 bail each.

Chief executive of electricity distributor company, Telasi, Devi Kandelaki, as well as former deputy economy minister and now a partner at GDC Solutions business consultancy firm, Kakha Damenia, will also be released on GEL 30,000 bail each.

Court also ruled to release on GEL 15,000 bail two others, who were arrested into the same case of alleged large-scale bribery,  Bela Gutidze and Giorgi Nemsitsveridze.

Prosecutors wanted all, but Bela Gutidze, to be sent to pretrial detention pending trial.

Prosecutors filed charges against six persons on December 21. Charges mainly involve bribery and assisting to bribery, as well as money laundering and forging documents.

All six have been released late on December 22 after they posted the bail.

“This is absurd and a stage show,” former energy minister Khetaguri said of charges against him. “There will be a trial and we will prove our innocence.”

Gvaramia said after he was released that what the prosecutors claim was a corrupt scheme in fact was legitimate transaction and “I was involved indirectly in it as a lawyer.”

Civil Georgia