EX-CHIEF OF GEORGIAN SECURITY SERVICE ON WANTED LIST STRIPPED OF RIGHT TO RUN FOR PARLIAMENT

TBILISI, March 8 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia's Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit by representatives of the Justice party (leaders - Igor Giorgadze and Maya Topuria) who demanded the restoration in the party list at the coming parliamentary elections March 28 of Igor Giorgadze's candidacy, deleted from the list by a decision of the Georgian Central Election Commission on March 2.

"Out of the whole party list, only Igor Giorgadze's candidacy was removed in connection with the fact that, by Georgian interior ministry data, he had not lived on Georgian territory in the last two years, which is necessary to register a candidate for parliament," Georgian CEC representative Georgy Mamulashvili told Novosti-Georgia Monday.

Former chief of Georgia's security service Igor Giorgadze, on an Interpol wanted list on charges of masterminding an act of terrorism against ex-president Eduard Shevardnadze, already tried in vain to run for Georgian parliament at the November 2, 2003 elections on proportional and majority systems.

Igor Giorgadze also tried to run for early presidential elections in Georgia on January 4, 2004, and was denied registration by the Georgian CEC due to the same reason.