Georgia’s former special squad member to stay in custody in Ukraine

Kyiv Court of Appeals has ruled out 40-day pre-trial detention for Gia Tsertsvadze, ex-Lieutenant Colonel of the Georgian MoI special squad.

The judicial panel has motivated its decision by the fact that the first instance court failed to duly provide the Appeals Court with the case materials.

Tsertsvadze’s wife and his comrades in arms were awaiting the ruling in the Appeals Court. Ukrainian military men also attended the hearing.

Kseniya Prokonova, Tsertsvadze’s lawyer, told Rustavi 2 TV, she was disappointed with the court’s decision, since staying in custody was dangerous for Tsertsvadze’s health.

“The fact that court wasn’t provided the case materials implies that Tsertsvadze will stay in custody. Regrettably, it will affect not only his health, but also his future prospects, since during this period he won’t be with his family members, neither will he have a chance to defend his rights,” said Kseniya Prokonova.

Georgia’s ex-President, Mikheil Saakashvili, also attended the court hearing. He termed the court ruling as ‘shameful’.

Georgian President’s Administration also commented on Tsertsvadze’s case. Georgian President’s Parliamentary Secretary, Ana Dolidze said, the President kept the track of the case since the very first day.

“When it is considered necessary for the Supreme Commander to make a statement and fix his position with regard to Tsertsvadze’s case, be sure, his stance will be timely expressed,” said Dolidze.

Kyiv Court of Appeals is expected to hold its next hearing on Tsertsvadze’s case on February 3

Giorgi (Gia) Tsertsvadze, Georgian MoI special squad ex-Lieutenant Colonel, was arrested in Kyiv’s Zhuliany airport, on January 15, upon Russia’s request. Tsertsvadze, a veteran of the 1990 Abkhaz war and the 2008 Russian-Georgian war, has been accused by the Russian authorities of committing a murder in 2003.  However, he was put on Russia’s international wanted list only in December 2016. His lawyer and some opposition members claim, Georgian authorities have divulged Tsertsvadze’s personal data to Russia.