Giorgi Pataridze and Ramaz Pirtskhalava, charged in the assault case against Davit Peikrishvili, granted GEL 10,000 bail each as a preventive measure
Giorgi Pataridze, the former Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service, and Ramaz Pirtskhalava, the former Director of Gldani Penitentiary Establishment No. 8—who are charged in the case concerning the violence committed against Davit Peikrishvili in a prison cell—have each been granted GEL 10,000 bail as a preventive measure.
The decision was made by Tbilisi City Court Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili.
Both charged former high-ranking officials attended the hearing.
According to Prosecutor Tamar Kuljanishvili's motion, both factual and formal grounds exist for applying a preventive measure against the defendants.
As explained by the prosecutor, there is a risk of Giorgi Pataridze obstructing the collection of evidence, as well as a risk of him exerting influence over individuals to be questioned as witnesses. Furthermore, according to Kuljanishvili, there is a risk of absconding out of fear of expected punishment.
The prosecutor cited the same grounds regarding the second defendant, Ramaz Pirtskhalava.
According to Kuljanishvili, bail should ensure the elimination of the aforementioned risks.
The prosecution motioned for the application of GEL 10,000 bail for each of the defendants.
The defendants' lawyer, Irma Brelidze, disagreed with the prosecution's motion and stated that the court should not apply bail. The lawyer motioned for them to be left without any preventive measure.
According to Brelidze, there are no risks of the defendants absconding or exerting influence over witnesses.
The lawyer stated that the personalities of the defendants do not warrant the application of any kind of preventive measure.
As an alternative, Brelidze offered the court the option of applying GEL 3,000 bail for each defendant.
For reference, the Prosecutor's Office filed charges against the former Director General of the Special Penitentiary Service Giorgi Pataridze, the former Director of Penitentiary Establishment No. 8 Ramaz Pirtskhalava, and the so-called criminal authorities Vato Kipiani, Shota Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, Pavle Gotsiridze, and Davit Kacharava over the beating of inmate Davit Peikrishvili—who is linked to criminal circles—inside his cell. The investigation charges Giorgi Pataridze with exceeding official powers, and Ramaz Pirtskhalava with abuse of official authority. As for the so-called criminal authorities, they have been charged under the article covering intentional less grave bodily harm committed by a group against Davit Peikrishvili.
