Georgia, Tbilisi, Oct.3 / Trend, N. Kirtskhalia /
A trial on the appeal of Badri Bitsadze, former head of the Georgian Border Service, will begin on Oct. 5, Bitsadze's lawyer Levan Samushia told Trend.
He said Bitsadze disputes the verdict of the Tbilisi City Court, which sentenced him to five years and six months in prison.
The defendant pleads not guilty and requests acquittal.
Bitsadze was recorded by journalists' cameras in Vienna a few days ago with his wife and son. Bitsadze did not answer journalists' questions about his place of residence and tried to hide from the cameras.
According to his wife, former speaker of the Georgian parliament and leader of the opposition "Democratic Movement" Nino Burjanadze, Bitsadze filed a petition to grant him political asylum in a European country and is waiting for a response.
Bitsadze is accused of organizing illegal armed groups and resisting police.