TBILISI. April 1 (Interfax) - Georgian prosecutors on Tuesday indicted Mamuka Khazaradze, former president of the TVS bank and leader of the Strong Georgia opposition party, for refusing to show up at a meeting of an ad hoc parliamentary investigative commission probing criminal offenses committed by officials in 2003-2012.
The commission planned to question Khazaradze on March 25 in light of accusations brought against him of unlawfully expropriating a chain of filling stations and personal property of a local businessman with the help of former authorities. Said businessman had told the commission that, while serving as TVS bank president, Khazaradze took away his business and property worth $30 million from him.
Khazaradze refused to show up at the commission's hearing, saying that he did not recognize the current parliament on the grounds that the authorities rigged the October 26, 2024 parliamentary election.
After prosecutors indicted Khazaradze, he told journalists that he would be tried tentatively on Wednesday. "I want to state clearly that, whatever [Criminal Code] article this charge is based on, nobody can change my position," he said.
Prosecutors said Khazaradze was indicted under a Criminal Code article dealing with failure to comply with an ad hoc parliamentary investigative commission's requirements. If found guilty, he might be fined or sentenced to up to one year's imprisonment.
Apart from Khazaradze, several other persons, including former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, also failed to show up at the commission's hearing.