Tbilisi (GBC) - The Tbilisi City Court found former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Romeo Mikautadze guilty on Monday. Judge Nino Galustashvili sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison. He was also banned from holding public office for two years and had part of his property confiscated.

The prosecutor's office charged Mikautadze with nine different counts, including abuse of office, illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity, and money laundering.

According to the prosecutor in the case, Irakli Marshania, the convict was deprived of important assets:

  • A residential apartment in Spain
  • 3 cars
  • Expensive watches, gold bars and coins
  • A 15% stake in the Nakhidur hydroelectric power plant

Despite the fact that Romeo Mikautadze applied to the prosecutor's office for a plea bargain, he did not plead guilty at the court hearing. In his closing statement, he stated that he was ready to admit to a "non-existent crime" in order to quickly conclude the case. According to the prosecutor, since the defendant does not admit guilt, a plea bargain is impossible.

The convict's lawyer, Beka Nemsitsveridze, will appeal the decision to the Court of Appeal. He criticized the justice system and noted that the court only took into account the arguments of the prosecution.

Romeo Mikautadze was arrested by law enforcement officers on June 20 of last year. He was charged with 4 articles: Article 333, Part 2 of Article 332, Article 337, and Subparagraph “c” of Part 3 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code.