The court granted Goga Khaindrava's lawsuit and ordered "Formula" to pay 10,000 lari as compensation for moral damages.

A Tbilisi court has ordered the television company "Formula" to compensate filmmaker and vocal Georgian Dream supporter Goga Khaindrava with 10,000 lari in moral damages. Judge Liana Kajashvili presided over the case and ruled in favor of Khaindrava's lawsuit, which stemmed from a January 17 broadcast discussing his alleged involvement in bringing foreign nationals into Georgia between 2016 and 2017 in exchange for money.

Following the verdict, "Formula's" legal representative Eto Katamadze announced plans to challenge the decision through all domestic court levels and subsequently escalate the matter to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Katamadze expressed serious concerns about the ruling, emphasizing that the judge provided no substantive reasoning or explanation for the decision, merely announcing the outcome without justification.

The lawyer characterized the court's approach as deeply problematic, arguing that responsible journalism should not face such consequences within the country. He underscored that while the verdict was not entirely surprising given current conditions, they believe the decision fundamentally lacks proper legal grounding and fails to advance the principles of free press.

In response to Khaindrava's complaint filed on June 18, prosecutors initiated an investigation into "Formula" for allegedly disseminating false information. During the court proceedings, Khaindrava revealed that he intended to use funds to establish a non-governmental organization designed to safeguard citizens from what he termed "media terror." The investigation into the broadcaster remains ongoing.