Targamadze Slams Court's Bail Decision as Disproportionate: 'I Have No Property, No Income'
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Politician and former United National Movement MP Givi Targamadze has criticized a Tbilisi court's decision to impose a 10,000 GEL bail on him for failing to appear before Parliament's temporary investigative commission, calling the measure "disproportionate" given his financial circumstances.
Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Targamadze emphasized that he lives solely on a modest pension and does not own any assets.
"As a former member of parliament, my only income is a 1,000 GEL pension. I have no property whatsoever; nothing is registered in my name," he said. "To secure the bail, they discussed using my son's house, where my mother-in-law lives, so I have no connection to that house. It is what it is, what can you do?"
Targamadze added that he would work with his lawyer to resolve the bail issue.
The court sided with the prosecution, which argued that there was a risk of Targamadze evading the investigation. The former MP dismissed this claim outright, stating there was never any danger of him going into hiding.
He also used the opportunity to criticize the commission itself, calling it a tool of political repression aimed at silencing opposition voices.
"This commission isn't about justice,it's about fighting the opposition," he said.
Targamadze further addressed the long-standing controversy around his infamous quote, "I'll make you cough up your soul," which has followed him since his time in office.
"They're still stuck on that one line. Since 2012, they've been trying to find the mythical 80 million I supposedly stole, it turned out there was nothing. Now all they have left is this one sentence, which I've explained countless times."
He defended the statement's original intent, saying it was made in the context of preventing Russian influence in Georgia. "It was about making sure Russian flags don't wave on Rustaveli Avenue. And now we're seeing just how determined they are to plant those flags," Targamadze said.
