Israeli businessmen verdict reading postponed

The announcement of the verdict for two Israeli businessmen on trial for alleged bribery was postponed on Wednesday due to the “health problems” of Judge Vazha Pukhashvili. The judge's assistant said the reading of the verdict will be held on Friday.

Israeli businessman Ron Fuchs won a 98.1- million dollar dispute with Georgia in an international arbitration and was arrested together with his associate Zeev Frenkiel last October on charges of offering bribe to Georgia’s deputy finance Minister. The Georgian law enforcers claim that Fuchs and Frenkiel offered 7 million dollars to the Deputy Minister if the latter would persuade the Georgian authorities not to appeal the decision of the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes. Fuchs and Frenkiel arrived to Georgia with an official invitation of the Georgian Prime Minister, Nika Gilauri, according to the businessmen’s lawyers. The businessmen have denied the accusations of the Georgian law enforcers.

The lawyer of the businessmen, Archil Kbilashvili said on Wednesday that although the defending side “is sure that the businessmen have committed no crime”, the defending side does not expect that the court will clear Fuchs and Frenkiel. He declined to make any comments about alleged “closed door” negotiations between the Georgian and the Israeli officials, saying that this issue goes “beyond his competence.” “I want to believe that whatever reason was announced [for postponing the verdict reading] is true,” Kbilashvili noted.

Detention of Israeli businessmen has triggered speculations about deterioration of Georgian-Israeli relations. The speculations became more active with Israeli media reports about the postponement of Georgia Parliament Speaker, Davit Bakradze’s and Georgian Economy Minister Vera Kobalia’s visits to Israel. However, the Georgian authorities declined to link the delaying of the visits to the Israeli businessmen case, citing “dense schedule” of Israeli officials as a reason.

Meanwhile some opposition groups have called on the Georgian authorities to “immediately” free Zeev Frenkiel and Ron Fuchs. The National Council members held a special press conference on Wednesday, saying that arresting Israeli businessmen was a “big political mistake.” “This fact will significantly distort Georgia’s diplomatic image and create acute problems in terms of foreign investments,” leader of the National Council, Zviad Dzidziguri said. He called for “immediate correction of a political mistake” by releasing the detainees.

Georgian Parliamentary majority representative, MP Petre Tsiskarishvili downplayed the claims of the opposition members, calling the detained Israeli businessmen “swindlers and bribers.” “How long should you [ the opposition] be defending swindler and briber businessmen, who received some document by paying bribes in 1990ies and for the last five years are trying to force the state to pay hundreds of million Dollars. The fact that some businessmen has an invitation from the Prime Minister does not mean that he has an immunity,” Tsiskarishvili told journalists.