Court Says Publication of Saakashvili's Footage Served Protecting State Security

By The Messenger Staff

Thursday, January 13, 2022

According to the Tbilisi City Court, the information published by the Ministry of Justice about the publication of Mikheil Saakashvili's food ratio and audio-video recordings served the legitimate purpose of state and public safety.

According to the court statement, they did not find any violation of the requirements of the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection. However, the court claims that the inspector tried to mislead the public with ‘baseless allegations’.

"It is unfortunate that the State Inspector's Office deliberately tries to mislead the public by spreading false information with baseless and unsubstantiated allegations, in particular: in similar cases, unlike other cases, the statutory time limit is set at one month; The appeal was filed in court on December 17, 2021, and the final decision on the case was made on January 11, 2022; Thus, the case was considered within the time limit set by law.

Since the offense reports were drawn up against two different institutions, with several accusations of committing offenses independently of each other, the court considered that the merging of cases would impede the speedy and effective administration of justice.

“Based on this, the Tbilisi City Court calls on the State Inspector's Office and all interested parties to disseminate relevant information/opinions based on the factual and correct interpretation of the current legislation,” the statement reads.

On December 7, 2021, the State Inspector's Office completed a study by the Ministry of Justice and the Special Penitentiary Service to distribute Mikheil Saakashvili's videos and imposed administrative sanctions on them, which carries a total fine of GEL 2,500.

Yesterday, the Inspector General's Office announced that the Tbilisi City Court had overturned their decision to fine the Ministry of Justice for leaking Mikheil Saakashvili's personal data.