Appeal to release Bacho Akhalaia not granted

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the City Court on the imprisonment of former Georgian Defence and Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaia for two months as a temporary preventive measure. This was the decision of Judge Manuchar Kapanadze, despite the fact that Akhalaia's lawyers presented discs which recorded that people giving evidence against Akhalaia were put under pressure.

The judge offered to pass the data over for investigation as the Court of Appeal only considered the question of the legality of the temporary measure.

The lawyers petitioned for the change of arrest to bail on the guarantee of 30 Georgian Parliamentary deputies.

Akhalaia is charged under two articles of the Georgian Criminal Code 333 - abuse of authority and 142 the illegal suppression of freedom.

Lawyers stated after the trial that they intend to appeal the decision of the court at the Strasbourg court.

/Trend/