Court Starts Hearing Khazaradze-Japaridze Case

The Tbilisi City Court is holding a pre-trial hearing on the case of the co-founders of JSC TBC Bank Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze today.

The admissibility of evidence will be discussed at the court trial.

Yesterday, Khazaradze, who is also a founder of a new public movement Lelo, released a statement regarding the trial.

“My and Badri Japaridze’s trial is starting at Tbilisi City Court. The case into a totally absurd accusation - money laundering – will be moved to a court seized by Bidzina Ivanishvili's regime and will be governed by Ivanishvili’s personal lawyer, uncertified General Prosecutor Shalva Tadumadze, who has nothing to do with law, or common sense! It will not be the trial of Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, but the trial of Bidzina Ivanishvili!

“We invite everyone, including the international community, NGOs, the media, citizens - to see what Bidzina’s court looks like and to look into the case that once again shows the dangers created by Ivanishvili, threatening the future of the state and its people. I declare with full responsibility - it will end,” he wrote on social media.

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia launched an investigation into money laundering by the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TBC Bank on 2 August 2018.

Their bank accounts were seized in August.

The Prosecutor's Office applied to court with the relevant motion, having officially charged the founders of JSC TBC Bank in July. The two are accused of laundering a total sum of $16,754.000.

The pair paid the bail ordered on them by Tbilisi City Court, 700,000 GEL each, on July 26.

By Ana Dumbadze 

Related Story: Pre-trial Hearing on Khazaradze-Japaridze Case Postponed