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Thursday, 05 December, 2024
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Strasbourg Court Confirms Davit Kezerashvili’s Guilt in Embezzling Georgian Army Funds, Rejects Claims of Political Persecution

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has issued its decision in the case of Davit Kezerashvili v. Georgia. At a briefing, Justice Minister Anri Okhanashvili discussed the ruling, which upheld the verdict against Kezerashvili.

“The Court concluded that, while serving as Defense Minister shortly before the August 2008 war, Davit Kezerashvili embezzled €5,060,000 (approximately 15 million GEL at today's exchange rate) intended for the Georgian army. It also determined there was no political persecution involved in his prosecution. The Supreme Court of Georgia's verdict finding Kezerashvili guilty was deemed well-founded, and no violation of the presumption of innocence was found,” Okhanashvili stated.

Okhanashvili outlined the fraudulent activities carried out by Kezerashvili:

"During his tenure as Defense Minister, Kezerashvili unlawfully signed a fictitious agreement with an offshore company in a single day to provide combat training for the Georgian army. This agreement bypassed the General Staff of the Defense Forces. In reality, no training occurred, and the €5,060,000 allocated for the Georgian army was deliberately misappropriated."

Anri Okhanashvili emphasized that the Court also dismissed Kezerashvili’s demand for €15,000 in moral damages. Kezerashvili, who enriched himself by defrauding the Georgian army, sought additional compensation for moral damage. The Strasbourg Court firmly rejected this claim. It confirmed the seriousness of Kezerashvili’s crime and upheld the Supreme Court of Georgia's ruling as lawful.

The Justice Minister congratulated the Georgian state and armed forces on their success in the European Court and acknowledged those who defended Georgia’s interests:


“I congratulate the Georgian state, army, and people on this significant victory. I extend my gratitude to the Ministry of Justice staff and the Prosecutor’s Office for their dedicated work. We now look forward to seeing how our European partners, particularly those who previously characterized Kezerashvili as a media advocate, respond to this decision affirming his guilt,” Okhanashvili remarked.

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Georgian Justice Minister Paata Salia Visits Digital Government Center During Official Visit to the Republic of Korea

As part of his official visit to the Republic of Korea, Georgian Justice Minister Paata Salia, together with a delegation, visited the Digital Government Cooperation Center. Members of the Georgian delegation were briefed on Korea’s experience in digital governance, the provision of electronic government services, and the implementation of modern technologies.

The Republic of Korea is one of the world’s leading countries in the field of digital governance. During the visit, particular attention was paid to technological solutions that make government services faster, simpler, and more accessible to citizens.

“The experience shared with us by our Korean partners was very impressive. It is particularly important that our cooperation is focused on achieving concrete results. In the near future, a Digital Governance Cooperation Center will be established in Georgia, providing Georgian and Korean experts with an opportunity to jointly develop and implement new approaches and innovative projects,” said Tamar Zodelava, Deputy Minister of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding providing for the establishment of a Digital Governance Cooperation Center in Georgia.

The Center will serve as a platform for practical cooperation between the two countries. Key areas of joint work will include the development of a virtual assistant, digital identity, the integration of artificial intelligence into government services, and other modern digital solutions.

“Meetings with our Korean colleagues have highlighted several areas in which cooperation is particularly important for us. These include a virtual assistant, digital identity, and the integration of artificial intelligence into government services. The introduction of these technologies will enable us to provide citizens with government services even more quickly, simply, and efficiently,” said Sandro Tsirekidze, Chairman of the Digital Governance Agency.

The Georgian delegation accompanying Justice Minister Paata Salia includes First Deputy Minister of Justice Beka Dzamasvhili, Deputy Minister Tamar Zodelava, and Chairman of the Digital Governance Agency Sandro Tsirekidze.

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Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Digital Governance Signed Between the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea

As part of his visit to the Republic of Korea, Georgian Minister of Justice Paata Salia met with Yun Ho-jun, Minister of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea. During the meeting, the two sides discussed opportunities to further strengthen cooperation in digital development.

Minister Salia emphasized the importance of the partnership between Georgia and the Republic of Korea, particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence, innovative technologies, electronic services, and digital governance.

“We are particularly interested in the concept of democratic governance based on artificial intelligence. The central idea behind this approach is that AI should not merely serve as a technological tool, but should be used to expand access to public services and enable the state to respond more quickly and effectively to citizens’ needs,” said the Minister of Justice of Georgia.

Paata Salia also highlighted Georgia’s significant progress in recent years in the areas of digital governance, electronic services, cybersecurity, and information security.

According to Yun Ho-jun, Minister of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea, cooperation between the two countries will bring significant benefits to every citizen of Georgia:

“We had a very productive meeting with Georgian Minister of Justice Paata Salia. We had an excellent discussion on how to deepen digital cooperation between our two countries and between our respective ministries, particularly in accelerating digital development and promoting the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation.

The memorandum provides for the establishment of a Digital Governance Cooperation Center, which will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the two countries and support the organization of joint working sessions, seminars, and forums. The Center also has the potential to serve as a regional hub for developing and implementing innovative approaches to digital governance.

Under the memorandum, the two sides also plan to further develop Georgia’s unified electronic services portal, my.gov.ge.

In early October, Georgia, together with its Korean partners, will host a high-level workshop on artificial intelligence.

The meeting was also attended by First Deputy Minister of Justice Beka Dzamasvhili; Deputy Minister Tamar Zodelava; Sandro Tsirekidze, Chairman of the LEPL Digital Governance Agency; and Mikheil Tigishvili, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Republic of Korea.