Lana Tsertsvadze, the defense attorney representing the former head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) Grigol Liluashvili, has described the sentence handed down against him as unjust. According to her, the verdict will be appealed within the statutory legal deadline.
“I expect that Mr. Grigol Liluashvili will not spend 13 years in prison, and I hope that the appellate court will nonetheless save the face of justice,” Tsertsvadze told reporters.
The lawyer called on the Court of Appeals to act strictly in accordance with the law, stressing that the court of first instance had failed to fulfill its duties.
“My appeal is addressed solely to the court to act within the framework of the law and fulfill its only mission—to deliver rulings based exclusively on evidence. My message is directed specifically to the judicial system, whose first instance failed in its obligations today.”
According to Tsertsvadze, both the defense and Liluashvili himself had expected an acquittal, citing a total absence of evidence in the case files to substantiate his guilt.
“It is difficult for me to offer a legal assessment of such an unjust verdict. The defense expected an acquittal, and these expectations were based entirely on the fact that the case truly lacks any evidence supporting the alleged actions attributed to Mr. Grigol Liluashvili, which he did not commit. Unfortunately, the court delivered an incompetent, unjust, and biased decision, which is why the defense will pursue appropriate legal remedies.”
As a reminder, on 16 September, former head of the State Security Service of Georgia Grigol Liluashvili was convicted on four counts involving corruption and the illicit patronage of call centers. The court sentenced him to 13 years of imprisonment.