Tea Tsulukiani : We will not joke! – All those who were part of the previous government are going to appear before the commission. They will not be able to say that they didn’t know there was a pretty severe punishment for failing to appear!  

**Parliament Commission Warns Ex-Ministers**

The chairwoman of a parliament commission, Tea Tsulukiani, has warned former government officials not to ignore the commission’s summons. She said failure to appear would result in criminal liability.

The commission is investigating the previous government’s activities. It will consider a case involving businessman Besarion Khardziani. He was arrested in 2011 and claims he was pressured to give up his business interests while in prison.

Tsulukiani told those who represented the previous government that they would be held accountable for not attending the commission’s sessions. “We are not going to joke,” she said, implying that ignoring the summons is not an option.

The case of Besarion Khardziani was seized by his business and tortured in prison in 2011. His son will testify at today’s session of the commission.