Georgian court releases national commission head on bail

The Kutaisi City Court has chosen a measure of restraint in the form of a pledge worth 3,000 lari towards chairman of the Georgian National Energy and Water Regulation Commission Guram Chalagashvili. Chalagashvili said that the charges are baseless and absurd.

"The prosecutor's office is trying to remove me from my post, as I head the commission which does not submit to any department," he said. "The new government can not control it. They want to get the commission."

Georgian MPs from the minority group attended the process. They also called the allegations as "theater of absurd".

According to the Interior Ministry, the investigative bodies revealed that Chalagashvili was at Amirani restaurant, located in the Kvitiri village (Tshaltub district) on January 12, 2013. He contacted director of the central branch of Energo Pro Georgia company in western Georgia David Muradashvili and urged to disconnect electricity supply at the restaurant.

Muradashvili has contacted technical manager Levan Kuprava and informed about Guram Chalagashvili's order. Afterwards, an electrician disconnected electricity supply at the restaurant and the nearby facilities. As a result, hundreds of Kutaisi companies were left without electricity.