Statement of GYLA on Impounding of Bank Accounts of Activists of the Georgian Dream

According to the July 26-27 media reports, 15 bank accounts of members of the Georgian Dream’s Lanchkhuti office and 15 participants of the door-to-door project were impounded. Furthermore, according to the information that we have, bank accounts of 4 activists of the Georgian Dream in Zugdidi were also impounded.

As of now, owners of the bank accounts are unaware of grounds of impoundment, substantiation and evidence. They also explain that they have not received any corresponding decision. Thus, they currently lack opportunity to take any further legal actions. Georgian legislation recognizes several forms of impoundment that fall under the scope of different scopes of regulation. For instance, decision on impounding delivered on the basis of the Criminal Procedure Code can be appealed within only 48 hours, which further increases the importance of submitting the importance to interested parties in a timely manner. Currently we are unaware of the type of impounding applied, the case in relation to which it has been applied and corresponding legal grounds. Although impounding of bank accounts of the Georgian Dream’s activists has been large-scale, as confirmed by media reports, currently none of the agencies have offered official statement to explain the ongoing developments.

Therefore, we call on the responsible authorities to provide owners of the bank accounts with information on grounds of impounding, submit substantiated decision to each owner and familiarize them with corresponding evidence. Otherwise, right of interested parties to appeal decisions delivered against them as well as their right to fair trial could come under question. Since impounding of bank accounts of activist of an opposition coalition Georgian Dream has become a large-scale process, we call on responsible authorities to publicly explain grounds for impounding and make public substantiation of the decision.

Further, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association stands ready to provide legal assistance to all individuals whose bank accounts have bee subject to impounding. All interested individuals can apply to corresponding regional offices of GYLA.