Mamuka Khazaradze sentenced to eight months in prison following failure to comply with request of Parliament’s Temporary Investigative Commission

Tbilisi City Court on Monday sentenced Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of the opposition Lelo party, to eight months in prison and banned him from holding public office for two years.

The verdict was delivered in connection with Khazaradze’s failure to comply with a summons from a temporary parliamentary investigative commission.

Khazaradze was not present at the court hearing.

The case was referred to the Prosecutor’s Office on March 25 after Khazaradze had failed to appear before the commission investigating the activities of Georgia’s political leadership between 2003 and 2012.

He was formally charged on April 1.

As a preventive measure, Khazaradze was initially released on bail set at 50,000 GEL, which he paid within the legally prescribed timeframe.