Tbilisi City Court ruled late on Saturday night pre-trial detention for ex-justice minister Zurab Adeishvili in absentia.

Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Adeishvili in late December, accusing him of “organizing inhuman treatment of inmates” in September, 2012.
 
Adeishvili has left Georgia next day after the October 1 parliamentary elections, while still serving as justice minister, and “his whereabouts are unknown”, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The court has also accepted prosecutors’ motion to invalidate diplomatic and ordinary passports, which are currently held by Adeishvili.
 
Prosecutor’s Office says that Adeishvili possesses one ordinary passport and three diplomatic passports.
 
Although Adeishvili no longer holds a government post, the prosecutor’s office said on January 6, all of his three diplomatic passports were valid because of the October 12 presidential order allowing holders of diplomatic passports to keep on using such passports for one year after losing official posts.
 
Criminal charges against Adeishvili, who was an influential member of President Saakashvili’s government, include abuse of power with use of violence; inhuman treatment; provoking a crime and fabricating evidence.
 
Less than a week before criminal charges were filed against Adeishvili, former PM and secretary general of the United National Movement party, Vano Merabishvili, said in an interview with the Georgian newspapers Kviris Palitra that he was in touch with Adeishvili and knew his whereabouts. He also said: “I do not rule out that he will return back” to Georgia.