Tbilisi City Court sentences Mikheil Kalandia to 15 years in jail

By Liza Mchedlidze

Wednesday, February 26

Mikheil Kalandia held a witness status from the Prosecutor's Office until the summer of 2019 PHOTO: Radio Tavisupleba

Tengiz Kalandia stated that the case will be appealed to Strasbourg.

Luka Kalandia told reporters that they are going to appeal to the Tbilisi Court of Appeals and Supreme Court PHOTO: IPN.ge

Tbilisi City Court found Mikheil Kalandia guilty for the planned organized murder of Davit Saralidze and sentenced him to 11 years and 3 months in prison.

As Kalandia is underage, the juvenile justice code reduced the sentence to one-third and sentenced him to 11 years and 3 months.

Kalandia held the main witness status from the Prosecutor's Office until the summer of 2019. He was arrested on June 4, the day after the City Court ruled that Giorgi Janashia murdered Davit Saralidze in organized crime.

Mikheil Kalandia’s father Tengiz Kalandia assessed Court’s decision of imprisoning his son as ‘politically motivated,’ adding that the investigation was not launched ‘properly’ and blamed everything on our family. Kalandia stated that the case will be appealed to Strasbourg.

“The Georgian Dream was not able to fix their spoiled case and blamed everything on my son. There were interests of Sergi Kapanadze, ‘European Georgia,’ and ‘Georgian Dream’. We will go to Strasbourg, the easiest way was blaming everything on us,” said Tengiz Kalandia.

After the court’s decision was announced, Luka Kalandia, Mikheil Kalandia's brother stated that the court ruled imprisonment of his brother so Zaza Saralidze would not start protests in the pre-election period:

“What happened today is that the government has temporarily maintained power, they wanted to avoid Zaza Saralidze’s disappointment and plausible rallies in case of Mikheil Saralidze discharge. I will say it loud and clear, our family is not going to back down,” said Luka Kalandia.

According to him, his whole family, including the detained underage boy Mikheil Kalandia is full of spirit to fight the injustice.

Luka Kalandia told reporters that they are going to appeal to the Tbilisi Court of Appeals and Supreme Court as well but he believes that "it makes no sense since the whole system is bribed."

“We will appeal to Tbilisi Court of Appeals and nothing will change, we will appeal to Supreme court, still nothing will change, because the whole system is bribed and we will take the case to Strasbourg where Georgia can not interfere and we will restore Justice,” said Luka Kalandia.