'Cable case’ convicts to be released in 2 months

Georgian Defence Ministry’s (MoD) former high-rank officials, convicted for involvement in the so-called ‘cable case’, have been commuted sentence and will be released in about 2 months’ time.

On the Appeals Court decision, the ‘embezzlement’ charges, pursuant to which the accused were convicted, were re-qualified into ‘abuse of official powers, and based on it the convicts have been commuted their sentences.

5 MoD officials were arrested for embezzlement of GEL4 million state funds on October 28, 2014. They were charged with formalizing illegal service procurement contract with the Silknet Company and were sent to pre-trial detention under Tbilisi City Court ruling.

The charged individuals pleaded not guilty.

Irakli Alasania, then-Defense Minister and the Free Democrats party leader, made a statement, claiming that MoD officials had been arrested on political grounds. Afterwards, Georgian Prime Minister dismissed Alasania from his post. In response to that, Free Democrats withdrew from the ruling coalition and moved into opposition.

Georgian Foreign Minister, Maia Panjikidze, as well as State Minister for Euro-Integration, Alexi Petriashvili, also resigned in protest following the arrest of high-rank MoD officials.

On June 19, 2015, Tbilisi City Court released ex-MoD officials from pre-trial detention based on the petition submitted by the MPs from the Free Democrats party. However, on May 16, 2016, all 5 individuals were found guilty by Judge Besik Bugianishvili, who sentenced them to 7 years in prison. The defense challenged the aforesaid verdict in the Appeals Court

After the October 8, 2016 parliamentary elections, Irakli Alasania announced about quitting politics. Several individual leaders also abandoned the Free Democrats party, including Victor Dolidze, who was later appointed as the State Minister for Euro-Integration.