On 12 February, the ruling Georgian Dream party Secretary General and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze and the party’s Executive Secretary Irakli Kobakhidze offered parliamentarians in the European parliament to create a special mission, composed of members of different political groups, to look into the embezzlement case involving opposition leader Gigi Ugulava, reported agenda.ge. 

Kaladze and Kobakhidze stated that the mission would have the full opportunity to familiarize itself with the case details concerning Ugulava. “The creation of such a mission is absolutely possible in the European Parliament and we have received positive feedback regarding the issue. We hope that the mission will come to Georgia soon and look into the case. I am sure that the EU parliamentarians will see that 48 million GEL was embezzled and will say that such crimes must not be left unpunished,” Kobakhidze said. 

On the same day, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili met with facilitation ambassadors to find ways to resume dialogue with the opposition. The meeting was attended by EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell, Council of Europe Ambassador Christian Urse, US Ambassador Kelly Degnan and Acting Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Michael Fabri. “As I’ve said many times, I am ready to get involved in the dialogue and reconciliation processes between the different political sides in Georgia. Dialogue is the cornerstone of democracy,“ Zourabichvili stated before the meeting with ambassadors. 

The EU parliamentarians showed interest in forming such a mission. “I am very interested in this case details to find out why it took seven years to announce the verdict, six months before the election. We also discussed the ongoing developments in Georgia, in particular the constitutional reform. The ruling party pledged constitutional reforms, but ultimately failed. It is not appropriate for the country to convict one of the opposition leaders for the crime he likely committed eight years ago,” said the EU parliamentarian Kati Piri.

The Party of European Socialists (PES) already issued a statement in support of forming such a mission. “We welcome this step to improve the transparency of the Georgian judicial system. A mission led by colleagues from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats  and the European People's Party would greatly help scrutinise and assess the substance of this case and bring more clarity,” PES President Sergei Stanishev said.

The opposition in Georgia showed scepticism towards forming such a mission. “I am sure such a mission will not be set up since such a format does not exist institutionally within the European Parliament. Meanwhile, a lot of time will pass and an illusion will be created that the Georgian Dream has some kind of openness,” said  the member of United National Movement Salome Samadashvili.

“As for the mission of the European Parliament, we are very sceptical [for] several reasons. First – when a person is already in prison [because of a] decision [by a] Supreme Court, we do not see the specific workload of this commission. Such a commission and such a mission should come when the trial is proceeding, and not when the person is already in custody under the signature of Tadumadze. Secondly, there is such a precedent when, in 2013, OSCE / ODIHR observers monitored trials, political processes and wrote extremely negative reports, in which the processes were subjected to harsh criticism both in terms of the legal and procedural aspects. The “Georgian Dream” did not pay any attention to this conclusion, nor did it to the decision of the European Court regarding Vano Merabishvili’s case,” said the leader of European Georgia Davit Bakradze.

On 10 February, one of the leaders of European Georgia opposition party and ex-Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava was sentenced to three years and two months in prison by the Georgian Supreme Court (Caucasus Watch reported). The charge was for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL from the Tbilisi Municipal Development fund while he was in office. Following Ugulava’s arrest, leader of European Georgia, David Bakradze stated that the opposition parties were going to suspend dialogue with the ruling Georgia Dream party on the 2020 election.

Ugulava’s arrest prompted concerns from the embassies of western countries. “The US Embassy supports the political dialogue between Georgia’s governing party and opposition representatives aimed at reaching an agreement on an election system that best serves the Georgian people. The US Embassy is disappointed that the timing and context of the conviction and sentencing of an opposition leader last night has put the dialogue at risk,“ read the statement of the US Embassy in Georgia. 

“Sentencing of opposition leader Ugulava leaves unanswered questions around timing and process. Also impacts on dialogue on the electoral system that will earn the trust of Georgian electorate. As friend and strategic partner, the United Kingdom encourages steps to narrow divisions and reinforce democracy,” read the tweet on the British Embassy's official Twitter account.

The EU issued a statement where it read that “the circumstances around this verdict are not conducive to advancing the political dialogue aimed at a much needed depolarisation of the political situation in Georgia.” “Upholding the highest standards of judicial independence, fair trial and the rule of law is an essential commitment of Georgia under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. The EU continues to monitor all other trials in Georgia related to high profile cases,” it further read.