Georgia’s Tbilisi City Court, presided over by Judge David Kurtanidze, ruled in favor of pre-trial detention for former Prime Minister and current opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia on Wednesday, in connection with charges related to the 2019 Chorchana checkpoint case.
The ruling fully grants the Prosecutor General’s motion for pre-trial detention in absentia, meaning Gakharia will be arrested immediately upon his return to Georgia. Gakharia, leader of the opposition “For Georgia” party, is currently outside the country – he is reportedly a resident of Germany.
The formal charges and legal consequences
The prosecutor officially filed criminal charges against Gakharia on Nov. 12, 2025, regarding two separate incidents in 2019:
Chorchana Checkpoint Case (Abuse of Power): Gakharia is charged under Article 333, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code for abuse of official authority. Prosecutors claim that Gakharia, who was then Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, unilaterally ordered the checkpoint near the occupation line without coordination – leading to occupation forces seizing approximately 100 hectares of forest land. The court’s order for imprisonment in absentia is based on this case.
Gavrilov Night Case (Grievous Bodily Harm): Gakharia is also charged with organizing the intentional infliction of serious bodily harm on more than two people (Article 117, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph “m”) related to the dispersal of the June 20–21, 2019 protests.
The maximum penalty for a conviction on these charges is up to 13 years in prison.
From Ivanishvili’s ‘right hand’ to main rival
The legal proceedings against Gakharia are seen by critics as the culmination of a political feud between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and its former, highly influential member.
Following the high-profile “Gavrilov Night” protests in 2019 (an episode for which he is now charged), Gakharia was elevated to the position of Prime Minister in September 2019 with the full backing and nomination of GD founder Bidzina Ivanishvili.
For years, Gakharia was publicly praised by Ivanishvili and the ruling party as a successful and central driving force behind the GD government.
Gakharia resigned abruptly in February 2021 and subsequently formed his own opposition party. This ongoing public and legal clash between Ivanishvili and his former “right hand” is considered by many political analysts to be the primary cause of heightened political tension in the country.