Bacho Akhalaia, ex-defense minister and former head of prison system, was found guilty of inhuman treatment in trial related to 2006 prison riot and sentenced to three years and nine months in jail and GEL 4,000 fine.

The verdict was announced by the Tbilisi City Court judge on October 28.

Charges, which Akhalaia denied as politically motivated, involved allegations that he beat up several inmates when he served as prison system chief in March, 2006, which led to a riot in the Tbilisi prison No.5 that claimed the life of seven inmates.

The court also found guilty three other co-defendants, who are now at large, into the same case and sentenced them to three years and nine months.

“We will definitely appeal the verdict,” one of Akhalaia’s lawyers, Malkhaz Velijanashvili, said.

Original verdict against Akhalaia was five-year prison term, but the sentence was truncated by one-fourth as charges were falling under the amnesty act passed by the Parliament in December, 2012.