Court under Pressure to Imprison the Thief of One Bottle of Beer

Court under Pressure to Imprison the Thief of One Bottle of Beer

In August 2005 David Berikishvili, an inhabitant of Tianeti, decided to have a bottle of beer. As he did not have any money with him, he asked the salesperson to borrow him one beer. The salesperson refused him and David Berikashvili took a bottle from the refrigerator without permission.

The police, investigation and Prosecutor’s Office considered the fact as a severe crime and charged him with Article 178, paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code, which provides for a punishment of three to eleven years of imprisonment. 

Despite the fact that Berikishvili paid the price of the beer the day after, the investigation and Prosecutor’s Office did not drop the case against the “criminal”. The court sentenced Berikishvili to 11 years of imprisonment.

Berikishvili’s lawyer Achil Chopikashvili says: “The prosecutors were put in a ridiculous situation. The only way to handle the problem was to pressurize the court.”

Berikishvili’s lawyers appealed to the higher court. The chief of the Appellate Chamber Maya Mtsiriashvili opposed the verdict, but the two other members, who were probably threatened by the prosecutors, agreed with the previous verdict. The Court of Appeal sentenced Berikishvili to 4 years of imprisonment. This was not enough for the Prosecutor’s Office though and it has brought an appeal to the Supreme Court. The prosecutors demand to sentence Berikishvili to 11 years of imprisonment.

The hearings in the Supreme Court will start on the 11th of October.