Georgia jails three opposition politicians, including bank founder

By Lucy Papachristou

(Reuters) -Three Georgian opposition politicians were sentenced to months in prison on Monday, the first to be convicted in a series of prosecutions targeting government critics who refused to give evidence to lawmakers.

Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, leading figures in the opposition Lelo for Georgia party, were both sentenced to eight months, while Zurab Japaridze of the Coalition for Change bloc received seven months.

Khazaradze is a co-founder of London-listed TBC Bank, one of Georgia's largest.

Authorities have launched a string of cases against people accused of refusing to testify to a parliamentary commission investigating alleged wrongdoing under jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who led the South Caucasus country from 2004 to 2012. Four other people are also being prosecuted.

Georgian authorities have moved to clamp down on leading figures of the pro-European Union opposition as street protests continue over a disputed October election and a subsequent government decision to halt talks on joining the EU.

Khazaradze and both Japaridzes, who are not related, were also banned from holding public office for two years, the Interpress news agency reported.

Their parties rejected last year's election result and accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of rigging the poll in order to win a fourth term. The government denies that allegation, but two U.S. pollsters said there was evidence of manipulation.

In a post on X, Khazaradze rejected the court's ruling, saying the parliamentary commission "has no real function" and pointing out he did not hold public office during the period the body is investigating.

Spokespeople for the parties of the jailed politicians did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Traditionally one of the most pro-Western countries to emerge from the Soviet Union, Georgia has taken a sharply authoritarian turn in recent years, critics say. Georgian Dream has passed a slew of laws clamping down on foreign-funded organisations operating in the country, and on LGBT people.

Georgian Dream says it still wants to join the EU but also wants to preserve the country's traditional values and keep peace with its huge northern neighbour, Russia.

(Reporting by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)