06 January 2017, 19:42
Gigi Ugulava is back at large
Today, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal (CoA) has reclassified the charge of Gigi Ugulava, the former Mayor of the capital of Georgia, from embezzlement into abuse of office and sentenced him to 1 year, 3 months and 22 days in jail. Tonight, Gigi Ugulava has left the jail building.
On September 18, 2015, Gigi Ugulava was sentenced to nine years in prison. He was accused of illegal employment in municipal structures of activists of the "United National Movement" (UNM), appropriation of the "Imedi" TV Company, illegal lobbying of the interests of the Israeli company engaged in organizing car parks in Tbilisi, as well as of pressing members of the election commission during the 2014 elections.
After his release from prison, Gigi Ugulava has stated that all the charges against him of embezzlement had not been proved and were "politically motivated."
"I want to declare solidarity with all political prisoners, who are still in jail. If my release is the start of releasing political prisoners, then, it's good," the "Interfax" quotes Mr Ugulava as saying.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
