Investigation into Mamuka Nikolaishvili Case has still not Started

The investigation into the case of former Energy Minister Mamuka Nikolaishvili has still not started 9 years on, according to his lawyer Gocha Svanidze. The delay hasprevented Mr. Nikolaishvili from proving his innocence, the attorney has stated. The issue of granting him the status of a political refugee has also not been discussed by the Parliament yet. According to the attorney, Mr. Nikolaishvili has been offered to accept a jail sentence and be released on bail, but has declined the offer. The MP Eka Beselia has spoken about irregularities in the Nikolaishvili case, though according to her, the former Energy Minister was late with submitting his parliamentary appeal for political refugee status. Mamuka Nikolaishvili himself first raised the issue on Inga Grigolia’s programme Big Politics on TV3.
According to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the investigation into the case of Mamuka Nikoleishvili is currently on hold, and will begin in the near future. The former minister was charged by the former Chief Prosecutor of the Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti region Roland Akhalaia.