**Politician Accuses Government of Retaliation**
In a dramatic turn of events, Badri Japaridze, a leader of the opposition party Lelo – Strong Georgia, has accused the government of using an investigative commission to retaliate against political opponents. This claim was made during his trial in Tbilisi City Court.
According to Japaridze, the temporary investigative commission of the parliament is not following the law. He argued that at least 50% of its members should come from opposition parties, but instead, only representatives from the ruling party, Georgian Dream, are on the commission.
“This is like a prosecutor appointing another prosecutor as a lawyer and saying they defended the rights of the accused,” Japaridze said in court. “It’s not fair and it’s against the law.”
**The Law**
Japaridze was referring to Article 349 of the Criminal Code, which states that failing to comply with the request of a temporary investigative commission is punishable by a fine or imprisonment.
However, Japaridze argues that the entire process is illegal. He believes that the parliament and the investigative commission were formed in violation of the law, leading to biased decisions being made.
**Retaliation**
The opposition party leader claims that the government is using the investigative commission as a tool to retaliate against its members. “We are seeing direct retaliation against political opponents,” Japaridze said.
**Trial Continues**
Japaridze was granted a 50,000-GEL bail and has paid it within the required period. The trial will continue with discussions on the admissibility of evidence in his case.
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