The Kutaisi Court of Appeal has left unchanged the five-year imprisonment sentence on Vano Merabishvili, an ex-prime minister and ex-interior minister of Georgia. He was found guilty of illegal acquisition of property, wasting the funds of the Interior Ministry, bribing voters and abusing authority. Ex-Minister for Labour, Healthcare and Social Protection Zurab Chiaberashvili was fined over $28,000, according to prosecutor Ketevan Chachava, RIA Novosti reports.
Merabishvili and Chiaberashvili were detained on May 21, 2013. They were charged with creating false jobs for members of the National Movement within the framework of the state labour program in 2012. Merabishvili was charged with acquiring a luxurious country house in Kvariati (Adjara Autonomous Republic) on the Black Sea coast. The Kutaisi City Court declared him guilty in February.
