Member Info for Blownitalready

this site is great if interested in the political side of things
Need to use google translate though

https://ipress.ge/new/category/politika/

A lot of focus is on the political side now...

Zugdidi District Court changed the detention measure on bail and released him from the courtroom. The decision was made by Judge Shota Bichia a few minutes ago.

The defense says that all the witnesses in the case have already been interviewed and there is therefore no reason to believe them.

Irakli Kakulia was given bail of 50 000 GEL, Zurab Kurua, Nikoloz Grigolia and Levan Chochia were sentenced to 30 000 GEL bail.
We would like to remind you that the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance has arrested three acting and one former public servant on November 8, 2019, based on a court ruling. Among them was Irakli Kakulia, the former mayor of Poti and the chairman of the current Sakrebulo.

According to the ministry, the detainees are accused of misappropriation of state property in a large amount of illegal appropriation of aid, misuse of public funds, particularly of bribery, abuse of power, negligence and false financial document production and use . According to the investigation, officers seized 528 821 GEL.
Investigation is in progress under Articles 180, 182, 338, 332, 332, 342 and 210 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which carries a sentence of imprisonment from 11 to 15 years.
https://ipress.ge/new/phothis-qhophil-mers-da-masthan-erthad-dakavebulebs-patimroba-giraothi-sheetsvala/

I wrote to Tim also....never got a reply the last time I wrote so not expecting too much

Chugoshvili: Government Should Not Expect Great Finding from Ugulava Case Report

“We can invite European experts and look at the case file , but I do not think that the conclusion of these experts will be favourable to the authorities. What do these experts find? It is found that the man who applied to the prosecutor's office and demanded additional punishment for Ugulava was later found guilty by a judge and had not listened to the arguments of the defense and added the sentence. On these kinds of punishments The Strasbourg ruling already exists and is known as a human rights violation. They will be convinced that all this has happened politically on a very hot, tense, difficult background. The authorities should not expect much favor in this conclusion, neither legally nor politically. I would think in their place how well you are accomplishing such a mission. can only reinforce the concerns and fears that have been expressed by all ", - Chugoshvili said.
Note: The Georgian Dream has offered the European Parliament to send a mission to Georgia to study the case of former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, one of the leaders of European Georgia.
Kakha Kaladze, the secretary general of the Georgian Dream, wrote in a tweet on Twitter that he is in Strasbourg with the party's executive secretary, MP Irakli Kobakhidze.
Later, the Party of European Socialists released a statement stating that it supported the initiative to send a fact-finding mission to Georgia to further investigate Gigi Ugulava's case.

Georgian Dream party are getting pressure from all sides....lol

Giorgi Kandelaki thinks that it is necessary for the ruling party to think about the partners' messages.
"As we said, the pressure on the 'Georgian Dream' will only increase, it will double. Of course, the EU statement, in this case the statement of the Executive Institute, the Foreign Relations Office is very important and this isolation will only deepen. The Georgian Dream will find itself in an unbearable state, both inside and outside the country. How much our country depends on the goodwill and support of the European Union and the United States needs no explanation. So it is in the Georgian Dream's interest to embark on this suicidal path taken by Bidzina Ivanishvili's arrest by the party's secretary general of European Georgia, "Giorgi Kandelaki said.
In response to a letter sent by Texas Congressman Randy Webber to Prime Minister George Kandelak, he said he did not remember the pressure from Georgia's main strategic ally.

"The pressure of such intensity is not remembered by Georgia's most important strategic ally. Putting aside the support of the current years, the fact that Georgia became independent in general is, to some extent, the merit of the United States. If not the US, Georgia would still be part of the Soviet Union. So consensus is being formed not only at the parliamentary level but also at the level of the executive branch that Ivanishvili's regime is not in the interests of either Georgia or our ally, ”George Kandelaki said.
Note: On February 10, the Supreme Court of Georgia found former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, one of the leaders of European Georgia, guilty of the Tbilisi Development Fund case and sentenced him to three years and two months in prison.

Damn it....one below is part 1

Part 2
Gigi Ugulava’s case includes shortcomings in terms of impartiality of the judge, as well as with regard to the appointment of a judge on the basis of the law, Public Defender of Georgia Nino Lomjaria said, responding to the verdict delivered by the Supreme Court against one of the leaders of the Georgian opposition Gigi Ugulava.

“On December 10, 2020, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Georgia changed the verdict of the courts of the first and second instances and sentenced Gigi Ugulava, leader of the European Georgia political party, to 3 years, 2 months and 8 days in prison.

The collegium was chaired by Shalva Tadumadze – the newly appointed judge of the Supreme Court, who was the Prosecutor General both when the given case was considered by the court of second instance and when the Prosecutor General’s Office appealed against the case to the cassation court.

Shalva Tadumadze was not personally involved in the given case as a prosecutor, however, this does not change the context – the Prosecutor General’s Office has a strictly defined vertical subordination system, in which all subordinate prosecutors are obliged to follow the instructions of the superior prosecutor, while all employees of the Prosecutor General’s Office are subordinated to the Prosecutor General.

According to the practice of European Court of Human Rights, the personal attitude and behaviour of a judge should create the sense of impartiality in the society. A judge, whose impartiality raises obvious questions, should not participate in the consideration of the case.

Part 2
The European Court has already found a violation, when an individual was involved in two cases against one party – in the first case, the individual was involved as a lawyer of an opposing party, and later, he was involved in another case as a judge towards the same person. It is clear that hearing of a case by the judge who was Prosecutor General during the consideration of the same case justifiably raises doubts about his impartiality.

The Public Defender’s efforts during the selection of judges were aimed at preventing similar risks, in particular, when addressing the OSCE/ODIHR, delivering a report in the Parliament, fully monitoring the selection process and drawing up a constitutional suit.

The Public Defender indicated in the special report that the public trust in the court would be further shaken by the non-implememation of the recommendations of the Venice Commission and hasty and faulty process of selection. After the recommendations were ignored, the strictest statements were made by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, OSCE/ODIHR, EU and other organisations. The Public Defender’s special report additionally emphasized the issue of higher education of Shalva Tadumadze, which raised relevant questions. Unfortunately, Shalva Tadumadze was elected as a judge by the Parliament without counter arguments being provided.

Consequently, Gigi Ugulava’s case includes shortcomings in terms of impartiality of the judge, as well as with regard to the appointment of a judge on the basis of the law. It should be noted that the European Court of Human Rights has already found the violation of the right to a fair trial in the cases showing similar shortcomings relating to the procedures of appointment of judges.

Consequently, the Public Defender believes that if the case is considered by the European Court, it may have an extremely great importance not only specifically for Gigi Ugulava’s case, but for Georgian justice in general,” the statement reads.

According to the Ombudsman’s Office, the Public Defender of Georgia will continue to carefully watch the case and will use all the powers within her mandate.

British Embassy : Sentencing of opposition leader leaves unanswered questions around timing and process
British Embassy : Sentencing of opposition leader leaves unanswered questions around timing and process
The British Embassy in Tbilisi has responded to the arrest of one of the leaders of the opposition Gigi Ugulava.

“Sentencing of opposition leader Ugulava leaves unanswered questions around timing and process. Also impacts on dialogue on electoral system that will earn trust of Georgian electorate. As friend and strategic partner, UK encourages steps to narrow divisions and reinforce democracy,” the British Embassy has tweeted.

Part 3
According to the NGOs, the verdict against Gigi Ugulava confirms the influence of the government on the justice system and the tendencies of selective justice. “The political bias of the prosecution and judiciary endangers the country's democratic development, further undermines public confidence in state institutions and the rule of law, and affects the pre-election environment.”

“We call on the Georgian authorities, the ruling party and the country's informal ruler - Bidzina Ivanishvili, to stop exercising selective justice against their opponents and people with different views, to promote a constructive resolution of the political crisis and to prioritize the interests of the population and the development of the country instead of party interests, ”the statement reads.

The joint statement is signed by Transparency International Georgia (TIG), Georgia’s Democratic Initiative (GDI), International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Georgian Reforms Association, Regional Center for Strategic Studies, Atlantic Council of Georgia, Center for Economic Policy Research, Society and Banks, Institute for Democracy and Safe Development (IDSD) , Human Rights Center , Open Society Foundation. Media Development Foundation.

Part 2
In the light of the investigation, launched against Gigi Ugulava 7 years ago, as well as the criminal prosecution against several opposition leaders, including Irakli Okruashvili, Nika Melia and Mamuka Khazaradze, there is doubt that the government uses the criminal prosecution as the leverage to put pressure against its opponents.

The long-running investigations and trials against the representatives of opposition parties have become a widespread practice. As its seems, the government uses this method to indirectly pressure its opponents. Gigi Ugulava's sentencing may also be a message to other opposition leaders.

In the recent period, representatives of Georgia's partner countries and international organizations have increasingly pointed to alarming trends in the country. Along with the electoral system, Western partners' statements focus on the problems of independence of the judiciary and prosecution and prosecution of political opponents.

By this ruling, the Georgian government once again ignored the country's interests and the recommendations of its Western partners. The recent actions of the authorities have left the impression of a demonstration of force, and they are increasingly distancing themselves from political rationality, increasing the nihilism in the society and the threat of isolation of the country.

Taking the general context of the country and the forthcoming election period into account and amid the ongoing negotiations between the authorities and the opposition, the arrest of one of the leaders of the opposition does indicate that the authorities have desire to continue the negotiations. Such rulings help to radicalize the situation and reduce the resources for dialogue and constructive relations between different political forces,” the statement reads.

NGOs respond to Supreme Court's ruling against Gigi Ugulava
Part 1
Twelve NGOs have responded to the Supreme Court's ruling on Gigi Ugulava, leader of the European Georgia party, who was found guilty of misspending GEL 48 million of public money from Tbilisi Development Fund. The NGOs have issued a joint statement, saying that the court's ruling was a continuation of political persecution by the government of Georgia against its the opponents.

The NGOs focus on a number of circumstances, including the violations in the case and the ignorance of Western partners' statements. In addition, they estimate that by the arrest of Ugulava the authorities refused to negotiate with the opposition.

The third sector calls on Bidzina Ivanishvili to stop exercising selective justice against opponents.
There were significant violations in the case and it gave rise to a reasonable suspicion that the prosecution was politically motivated and its sole purpose was to distance the opposition leader from the political process. Before the 2014 local elections, Gigi Ugulava, while he was head of the opposition party's election headquarters, was arrested and detained for more than 9 months without proper cause and in violation of the constitution. It is noteworthy that two of the judges of the Supreme Court, who brought the final verdict, have been recently elected by the authorities through untransparent process. One of them is Shalva Tadumadze, a former personal lawyer of the informal ruler of the country, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Parliamentary Secretary of the Government of Georgia and Prosecutor General. Obviously, his involvement is problematical and causes distrust towards the verdict.

forgot to put the link in -
its in georgian so needs translating.
This is a great site to keep uptodate on the political side of things
https://ipress.ge/new/kakha-kaladze-da-irakli-kobakhidze-samushao-vizitith-strasburgshi-imqhophebian/

Party leaders will hold bilateral meetings with representatives of the European Parliament.

According to Kakha Kaladze, secretary general of the Georgian Dream, the meetings will focus on important and ongoing reforms in the country, as well as current political processes and issues related to the 2020 parliamentary elections.

"We will have meetings with MEPs and provide information on reforms as well as ongoing political processes in the country. Within the framework of the Association Agreement, the country has undertaken very important commitments, which we are consistently implementing step by step. Of course, there is a great deal of concern with the 2020 election as to what the electoral environment will be like. Once again, I would like to emphasize that the elections will be held in a peaceful environment, will be transparent and all political entities will be given the opportunity to present their views and to inform the public to run an election campaign. The steps that the country has taken in this direction since 2012 are fundamentally important to us. Always, every election was followed by high praise from various international observer organizations,

According to Irakli Kobakhidze, executive secretary of the Georgian Dream, the purpose of the visit is to deepen relations.

“We will talk about the domestic political processes that will take place in Georgia. We want to deepen our cooperation, relationships and this will naturally be one of the main topics of our meeting. I expect interesting meetings, which will lead to positive results, ”Irakli Kobakhidze said.

interesting that the workers want to 'return' to their jobs !!

The protesters demanded 11 months worth of salaries as the company has not paid.
Former employees of the American oil and gas company Frontera gave held a rally demanding they receive back pay.
The protesters demanded 11 months worth of salaries as the company has not paid.

Former employees also demand to return to their jobs and say that they were fired after their rally on December 17 demanding their salaries.
The protesters held a rally earlier today in front of the Tbilisi State University and marched to the Frontera office.
Protestors say that the company owes salaries of 84 employees worth more than 1 million GEL ($0.35 million/€0.32 million).
The government of Georgia and American company Frontera are in arbitration for “violating contract conditions,” which are confidential.
Frontera says that it has suffered $3.5 billion in damage in Georgia.
Frontera, which was founded in the US in 1996, entered Georgia in 1997 and founded Frontera Eastern Georgia.
The Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation owns 50 per cent of Frontera Eastern Georgia.
https://agenda.ge/en/news/2020/376

The political side is now ramping up.....this link goes to main site with a few articles about the election voting in georgia

https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/latestnews

Danawinner - thanks for the link ....it's very useful in deed. Keep up the great work ,it's greatly appreciated