Court in Tbilisi revokes pre-trial incarceration for ex-fund director entangled in unlawful border crossing controversy

In a recent development, the Tbilisi City Court has cancelled the pre-trial detention of Giorgi Bachishvili, who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for embezzlement. The decision followed a prosecutor's motion, which the court approved.

Bachishvili, along with Shota Karumidze, is under investigation for charges of illegally crossing Georgia's state border. Karumidze is an individual accused of illegal border crossing, while Bachishvili faces charges under Article 344, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia for the same offence.

The specific allegations against Shota Karumidze under Article 25 are not specified in the text. He is, however, accused of assisting Bachishvili in illegally crossing the border.

The hearing related to the review of evidence presented by the prosecution was postponed. Bachishvili's defense attorney, Levan Makharashvili, agreed with the prosecution's request for the first time. The postponement indicates that further hearings are expected as the prosecution's evidence is examined.

It is worth noting that the charges against Giorgi Bachishvili and Shota Karumidze are separate from his existing prison sentence for embezzlement. The embezzlement is related to cryptocurrency funds allegedly misappropriated from the founder of the ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Both Bachishvili and Karumidze attended the court session. Prosecutor Vazha Todua emphasized that given the existing sentence, no additional preventive measure was necessary.

Karumidiz faces a potential prison sentence of 3 to 5 years for aiding in the illegal crossing of the state border. The case involving both individuals remains under investigation.

Giorgi Bachishvili left Georgia before his 11-year sentence was imposed in the cryptocurrency embezzlement case. The cancellation of his pre-trial detention in the border crossing case is a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings.