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thuesday, 11 April , 2023
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Ministries of Justice of Georgia and Portugal Conclude Memorandum of Cooperation

Rati Bregadze and Katarina Sarmento e Castro signed today the memorandum of cooperation within the framework of the visit of the Georgian delegation to Portugal.

The decision to deepen sectoral cooperation and sign a memorandum was made at the meeting of the Ministers of Justice of Georgia and Portugal in July 2022, at which the parties discussed concrete initiatives for the development of bilateral relations.

The memorandum covers various areas of cooperation between Georgia and Portugal, including the approximation of Georgian legislation with EU law, digitalization of justice, crime prevention, rehabilitation and re-socialization of convicts in penitentiary and probation systems, and access to educational programs. For this purpose, the memorandum envisions the development of training and qualification improvement programs for the employees of the Ministries of Justice of the two countries, as well as the organization of joint seminars, study visits and legal forums.

The signing of the memorandum was preceded by a meeting between the Ministers of Justice of Georgia and Portugal. Rati Bregadze and Katarina Sarmento e Castro discussed specific opportunities for mutual cooperation and future initiatives. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, Beka Dzamashvili, Ambassador of Georgia to Portugal, Giorgi Mirtskhulava and Deputy Head of the Mission, Tsotne Zurabiani.

In Portugal, the Georgian delegation will hold meetings with the State Secretary and the head of the Penitentiary Service on issues of digitization and administrative modernization. A visit of the delegation to the penitentiary and justice campus is also planned.

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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.