16 July 2014, 05:21
ECtHR rejects claim of Georgia native challenging the law on combating organized crime
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has found no violation in the case of Izet Ashlarba, a citizen of Georgia, who was convicted for links with the organized crime.
According to a press release of the ECtHR, Ashlarba could realize the consequences of his actions, when maintaining relations with the most powerful crime boss in the region and performing various missions on his behalf.
Izet Ashlarba, a native of Adjara (Adzharia), appealed to the ECtHR in 2007, complaining about some blurred legal provisions of the Georgian Criminal Code and arguing that he had been illegally convicted for his ties with the organized crime.
In 2007, the Batumi City Court found that Ashlarba was associated with one of criminal bosses and sentenced him to seven years of imprisonment.
In their response to the ECtHR's request, the Georgian authorities have explained that the 2005 they adopted amendments to the Criminal Code to correct the trend, according to which government officials had links with the world of thieves and obeyed the rules set by the criminal authorities, the RAPSE (Russian Legal Information Agency) reports.
