Tbilisi Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court in the TBC Bank founders and opposition Lelo party representatives’ case, Mamuka Khazaradze, Badri Japaridze and entrepreneur Avtandil Tserteli.
According to the leader of Lelo Mamuka Khazaradze, what the first instance and the Court of Appeals confirmed regarding their case is a legal absurdity.
"This legal absurdity continues, it is an unprecedented thing. What the first instance and today the appellate court confirmed is a legal absurdity. They dispute the case on which the Prosecutor's Office has confirmed in writing, as early as 4 years ago, that they have no complaints regarding this matter. Even if they had any complaints about this matter, they have confirmed in writing that they do not dispute this with us and did not dispute with us, nor did we argue about this matter. What they are accusing us of is absolutely nonsense. Ask any lawyer or first-year student - we were charged by a judge, not by the Prosecutor's Office, there is no such thing written anywhere that a judge charges you, which the Prosecutor's Office does not dispute. Bidzina Ivanishvili's slaves repeated this today like a parrot. They could not even say a word, neither the first nor the second instance, that there was no money laundering and we are right. The fact that I am standing before you now and that this trial has been going on for 4 years, and we are not in prison, means that the absurd case - money laundering does not exist. There were no other accusations in relation to us regarding this topic and this case. The only thing they complained about was money laundering, which did not happen. This was not confirmed either in the first or the second instance. What was invented and confirmed by the city and appeal courts is legal nonsense, a gross violation of human rights," said Khazaradze.
According to him, they will appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
"We will contact our lawyers today and appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. It's a long road. The person, the judge who was Bidzina Ivanishvili's lawyer, Shalva Tadumadze, who was the general prosecutor and started the case against us, will meet us in the Supreme Court. Now we are going to judge Tadumadze. This is the theater of the absurd, the land of the absurd. We promise every citizen that the fight will not stop for a second. Badri Japaridze and I decided to join this fight and it will continue. Don't be afraid, friends, this fight is a fight for justice!" Khazaradze said.
