The Batumi City Court ruled prison sentences for 3 individuals over the collapse of a residential building in Batumi on October 8, 2021.

The collapse of the 5-turned-7-floor building killed 9 people. It occurred because Zaur Budagovi, owner of the ground floor apartment, carried out construction and renovation work in gross violation of safety rules and without municipal permission.

Budagovi was sentenced to 4 years in prison, while the construction workers he hired, father and son Khusein and Giorgi Surmanidze, were each given 3 years.

The 3 men plan to dispute the decision in the Appellate Court. The trio originally faced up to 10 years of imprisonment under Article 240, Part II and Article 187, Part III of the Criminal Code, involving the breach of safety regulations during construction works.