The Tbilisi City Court ruled pre-trial detention for eight men, affiliated with ex-defense minister Irakli Okruashvili, who have been arrested for allegedly illegally possessing and keeping weapons and for allegedly forming an armed group.

Court sent four of them – Giorgi Saatashvili; Shalva Sabashvili; Khvicha Macharashvili and Kakha Terashvili – to pre-trial detention on June 23. All of them are charged with illegal possession and keeping firearms and explosives.

The court ruled pre-trial detention for four others – Davit Jarmelashvili; Davit Shiukashvili; Bondo Kakashvili and Levan Terashvili – on June 24. All of them are charged under the two articles of criminal code, involving illegal possession and keeping firearms and explosives, as well as formation of armed group.

The Interior Ministry said on June 23, that its counter-intelligence service arrested a group of men affiliated with Irakli Okruashvili, co-founder of the opposition Georgian Party, which allegedly was intending to provide military back-up to the return of ex-defense minister Irakli Okruashvili back to Georgia during the street protest rallies in late May.

The Georgian Party said that the police “planted” arms in house of its activists Levan Terashvili and Bondo Kakashvili; the party rejected the Interior Ministry’s allegation as “complete fiction” and “fabrication”.