Merabishvili's remand may be appealed in Strasbourg

The decision to remand the former prime minister of Georgia, Secretary General of "United National Movement" Vano Merabishvili, may be appealed at the Strasbourg court, his lawyer, Giorgi Chiviashvili, said today.

The lawyer visited Merabishvili in prison on May 27, but has not yet received a definitive answer on the issue from Merabishvili.

"The Court of Appeals, like the city court, passed an unjustified ruling. Mechanisms of appeal in Georgia are exhausted. We have a six-month period to appeal in Strasbourg," Trend quotes Chiviashvili.

According to him, Merabishvili considers his arrest to be "political retaliation."

As previously reported, Merabishvili and Tchiaberashvili were detained by law enforcement officers on May 21. Merabishvili is accused of committing crimes under Article 164, sub-paragraph "b", the third part of Article 182 and the second paragraph of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. Zurab Chiaberashvili, according to his lawyer George Gelhauri, is accused of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of office.