Court Authorizes Police to Bring Tbilisi Mayor before Investigators for Questioning

Civil Georgia

Tbilisi City Court has authorized law enforcement agencies to apply coercive measures to bring Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava to the police station for questioning as a witness in connection to scuffles that broke out outside the National Library on February 8.

After earlier this week Ugulava was summoned by the police for questioning, the Tbilisi Mayor’s Office said that Ugulava was willing to testify but would not arrive in the police station and instead was inviting investigators at his office. Police appealed court seeking permission to force Ugulava to appear before investigators. Ugulava said that he would comply with court’s decision. Before the court’s ruling was announced, Ugulava reiterated: “If court says that I have to arrive [at the police station] I have no problems.”
 
“Gigi Ugulava has been summoned for questioning as a witness twice… He, however, has not appeared for questioning and has neither provided the investigation with a valid excuse for not appearing,” the court said in a statement, adding that all the legal conditions were in place to authorize coercive measures to bring Ugulava to the police station for interrogation.

The court also said that Ugulava “should be brought” to the police station for questioning at 3pm local time on February 16.

After the court’s decision was announced, Tbilisi mayor’s office said that Ugulava would appear before investigators in the police station.

After the court issued order to bring Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava to a police station “for questioning as a witness” in connection to February 8 incident outside the National Library, Ugulava appeared before investigators on Saturday.

Ugulava arrived at the police station two hours before the deadline expired making no need for the police to intervene to take him to the police station. Ugulava was refusing to arrive at the police station, instead offering investigators to arrive to his office; he, however, also said that he would appear before the police in case of court’s order.

After about three hours of interrogation, Ugulava told journalists that Interior Minister Irakli Garibashvili should also be questioned in connection to the February 8 incident for police failure to prevent the violence.