Arrested Ex-Parliamentarian of Georgian Dream Charged with Unlawful Firearm Possession
Former Georgian MP and Olympic Champion Zurab Zviadauri Detained on Firearm Charges
Zurab Zviadauri, a former Georgian Dream MP and Olympic judo champion, was detained on charges of illegal possession of a firearm in Georgia's eastern Telavi municipality. The Prosecutor's Office (Staatsanwaltschaft) charged Zviadauri on Thursday and filed an indictment.
According to the investigation, Zviadauri had unlawfully purchased a revolver and was illegally carrying it, along with six rounds of ammunition. The incident that led to his latest detention is not specified in the provided paragraph.
Our brand name learned from an official source that Zviadauri was being investigated. Two days later, on Thursday, the agency reported that Zviadauri was formally charged. The Prosecutor General's Office stated that it will file a motion requesting pre-trial detention for Zviadauri.
Zviadauri, however, was released on ₾50,000 ($19,000) bail pending trial by the Telavi Court. After meeting with his client, Zviadauri's lawyer, Datuna Modebadze, told reporters that Zviadauri was exercising his right to remain silent.
The jury selection process for Zviadauri's case is still ongoing. The case was transferred to a jury for further consideration, but no verdict has yet been delivered. If convicted, Zviadauri could face up to five years in prison.
It is important to note that this is not Zviadauri's first brush with the law. He was previously arrested in 2021 on charges of premeditated murder in a case that is still ongoing. The incident that led to the murder charges against Zviadauri stemmed from a conflict that escalated into an exchange of gunfire. Shots fired by Kenchoshvili killed Zviadauri's brother, Zviad Zviadauri, as well as another individual. Return fire from Zviadauri fatally wounded Kenchoshvili himself. Zviadauri's lawyers argued that he acted within the bounds of necessary self-defense in the murder case.
Zviadauri did not attribute his detention to political reasons. Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, Zviadauri served as a Georgian Dream MP between 2012-2016 and won the Olympic gold medal in judo in 2004.
