Tbilisi Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court in the TBC Bank founders and Lelo party representatives’ case, Mamuka Khazaradze, Badri Japaridze and entrepreneur Avtandil Tserteli.

Both sides disputed the second instance.

The lawyers were demanding the acquittal. The Prosecutor’s Office was demanding to change the qualifications and to declare all three persons guilty of money laundering.

The accused in the so-called money laundering case - Khazaradze, Japaridze and Tsereteli were found guilty by the Tbilisi City Court. However, the judge changed the qualification of the article to all 3 of them and found them guilty of group fraud and each of them was sentenced to 7 years in prison, but because of the statute of limitations, they were exempted from the sentence.