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thuesday, 28 March , 2023
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Rati Bregadze Discusses Ongoing Reforms with the Members of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

Rati Bregadze held a meeting today with the members of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). At the meeting, the Minister of Justice discussed the ongoing reforms within the Ministry and emphasized the importance of cooperation with the PACE Monitoring Committee in the way of promoting the rule of law and human rights.

The conversation touched on the victories achieved by Georgia in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the sharp decrease in applications against Georgia. In particular, ten years ago, the Strasbourg Court had to deal with about 3,000 cases against Georgia, and this year - only 147, which is the result of the reforms implemented by the Georgian government and the strengthening of citizens' trust in domestic courts.

At the meeting, it was noted that last year, in order to strengthen the enforcement of Strasbourg court decisions at the national level, legislative changes were implemented, which is one of the recommendations of the 12 priorities of the European Union implemented by the Georgian authorities.

According to the Minister, the agency continues to work to strengthen human rights. For this purpose, a new penitentiary code and strategy have been developed, re-socialization and rehabilitation programs for prisoners are actively underway, a digital university has been created for convicts, employment opportunities have been expanded, a sports management strategy has been developed, a new prison in Laituri will be opened at the end of spring to solve the problem of prison overcrowding.

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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.