Gigi Ugulava: If Prison is a Path to Freedom, I'm Ready
"If prison is a path to freedom, I am ready to go to prison for the third time," the leader of the European Georgia party, Gigi Ugulava, echoed to the Supreme Court's decision regarding his imprisonment.
He added that the verdict against him was issued not by the Supreme Court but by personally Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the ruling party Georgian Dream.
"It is an unfair and politically motivated decision, and it was personally taken by Ivanishvili, which was executed by the judges who did not even have time to study the case”, Ugulava said, adding that he had expected the guilty verdict.
As he pointed out, the unity of the opposition scares Bidzina Ivanishvili, which is the reason behind the decision.
“What am I going to do? First and foremost - only firmness, smile, minimal anxiety and maximum concentration on the job. The fact is that the path chosen by the opposition frightens Ivanishvili. There will be pressures along the way, and despite the political pressure inside and outside the country, the Georgian Dream leader is lost. This is bad, but this is reality and we have to face it. Political arrests will not change our minds. By doing so, Ivanishvili only exacerbates the situation and radicalizes it, which will end badly for him. If prison is a path to freedom, I am ready to go to prison for the third time, I'm not sorry about that, ” he said.
The Supreme Court has found one of the opposition leaders, Gigi Ugulava, guilty of embezzling funds, in particular, GEL 48 million, and sentenced him to three years in prison.
The Court satisfied the prosecution's motion, according to which, Ugulava embezzled funds from the Tbilisi Development Fund, a non-commercial legal entity founded by the City Hall, the purpose of which is to preserve the historic look of the City and promote the growth of real estate value.
The opposition leader was initially arrested in July 2014 for the misappropriation of funds and embezzlement. He was sentenced to seven-month pre-trial detention. After this, in September 2015, he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison. This prison term was commuted to four years and six months.
On January 4th, the Appellate Court re-qualified the article and his sentence was shortened by three years and three months.
He was released from prison on January 6, 2017, on the basis of a verdict by the Tbilisi Appellate Court.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related Story: Opposition Leader Ugulava Sentenced to Three Years in Prison