Former Georgian Defence Minister Okruashvili arrested for refusing to appear at anti-UNM commission

Former Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili has been remanded into police custody for failing to pay bail after refusing to attend the government’s commission formed to investigate the alleged crimes of the former ruling United National Movement (UNM) party.

Okruashvili, who served in a variety of roles during the tenure of former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his UNM party, was summoned to appear at the commission in March, but declined to show up.

A number of other opposition figures, including Strategy Aghmashenebeli’s Giorgi Vashadze, Strong Georgia’s Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, former MP Givi Targamadze, and Coalition for Change leaders Nika Gvaramia, Zura Japaridze, and Nika Melia, have also refused to appear before the commission. Under Georgia’s criminal code, failure to appear can result in a punishment of up to one year in prison.

The commission to investigate the UNM’s time in power was established in February, and followed repeated pledges by Georgian Dream to punish the UNM. The ruling party has particularly focused on accusing the UNM of provoking and starting the August 2008 War.

Following his refusal to appear at the commission, Okruashvili became the subject of an investigation by the Prosecutor General’s Office, after which he received a bail of ₾20,000 ($7,300), as well as a travel ban until the case was resolved.

Okruashvili was given 30 days to pay the bail.

After he refused to pay, the Prosecutor General’s Office filed a motion to have the bail be replaced with pretrial detention, which the court granted.

Okruashvili said he refused to pay the bail as a form of protest, which figured into the prosecutor’s logic for remanding him into pretrial detention.

‘I had a vision, someone called out to me, “Don’t pay it!” I asked, “Who are you?” and they said, “deep state” ’, Okruashvili said sarcastically before the hearing began, referring to a nebulous group Georgian Dream has claimed is trying to pull Georgia into war.

‘Seven of us were charged in this case, but only I was banned from leaving the country — no such restriction was placed on the others. If Nika Melia, Badri Japaridze, Khazaradze, Gvaramia, and Vashadze can circle the globe three or four times a year for ₾50,000 ($18,000), why am I supposed to move only between Kutaisi and Telavi for 20,000? I don’t get it’, Okruashvili added.

Georgian opposition leader Nika Melia bail set at $18,000 for failing to appear before anti-UNM commission

Melia had been summoned by a parliamentary commission created to investigate crimes allegedly committed by his former party.

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