The Appeals Court will announce a decision on whether it has approved the appeal of the lawyers of Gigi Ugulava, suspended ex-mayor of Tbilisi and the chairperson of the Tbilisi election headquarters of the United National Movement. Ugulava has been sent to the pre-trial insulator under the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court. The former mayor is accused on money laundering and organization of group attack.
In case the appeal is approved, the defence of the ex-mayor says they will present additional evidence to the court, but if the appeal is rejected and the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court is left in force, the defence plans to file a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights.
If the appeal is approved, the United National Movement urges the judiciary authorities to make the hearings public so that the society and the international organizations are given an opportunity to observe the process, hear the arguments from both sides and make impartial assessments.
The ruling party authorities have already commented on the proposal of the opposition. They say the laws that are in force today were introduced and adopted by the previous government, when the UNM was ruling the country and the judiciary will act only in accordance with laws.