Nika Melia, leader of the United National Movement, was summoned to the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia to be warned about the consequences of non-compliance with the bail conditions.

"We would like to remind the public that on June 25, 2019, Nikanor Melia, Member of the Parliament of Georgia was prosecuted under Article 225, Parts 1 and 2, of the Criminal Code of Georgia in connection with the criminal case under investigation by the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, pertaining to group violence. According to the decision of the Tbilisi City Court of June 27, 2019, 30,000 GEL bail and additional restrictive measures were ordered for Nikanor Melia, including electronic monitoring.

On November 1, 2020, while making a public statement at a public gathering, Nikanor Melia removed the electronic monitoring bracelet imposed on him based on a court ruling, which practically ruled out the legal guarantees for his proper conduct. Accordingly, at the request of the Prosecutor's Office, it was requested to tighten the measure of restraint, in particular, to increase the bail to 100,000 GEL. According to the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court of November 3, 2020, the measure of restraint previously applied against accused Nikanor Melia was tightened and the bail was increased by 40,000 GEL.

According to the same decision of the Tbilisi City Court, the term of payment of the increased amount of bail was set at 50 days. Nikanor Melia was also barred from crossing the state border without the prior notice and consent of the Prosecutor's Office.

According to the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia, after determining the amount of bail, the accused, on his behalf or in behalf of another person, can deposit either cash or real estate equivalent to this amount. Although Nikanor Melia owns real estate sufficient to secure bail, and according to his declaration filed on December 31, 2020, he had sufficient money to secure bail in December, the accused did not pay the bail by December 24, 2020. Nikanor Melia will be given an additional one week to pay the bail. He will also be informed that that in case of non-payment of bail, or not securing the bail with equivalent real estate, the Prosecutor's Office will apply to the court to change the bail with pre-trail detention,"- reads the statement.

source: IPN