**Trial of Giorgi Bachiashvili Continues**
A court in Tbilisi, Georgia is hearing the case against Giorgi Bachiashvili. He was once the CEO of a fund and founder of the party “Georgian Dream”.
Today, his defense team will speak to the judge. If allowed, Mr. Bachiashvili will also get to say something before the judge makes a decision.
Mr. Bachiashvili has already been charged with three crimes and is currently wanted. He was first accused of taking money and cryptocurrency that didn’t belong to him from Bidzina Ivanishvili, another important person in Georgia’s politics.
The charges say Mr. Bachiashvili took $43 million worth of cryptocurrency and only gave back a small part of it, just over $500,000. This happened seven years ago.
Mr. Bachiashvili was first allowed to go free on bail but then the court changed its mind and said he should be kept in jail until his trial is finished. If found guilty, he could get up to 12 years in prison for this crime alone.
He also faces charges related to another case where he’s accused of not doing his job properly and causing problems for Georgia. This charge carries a sentence of up to five years.
Additionally, Mr. Bachiashvili is charged with illegally leaving the country without permission. He has been kept in jail while waiting for this trial to end.
