Maia Kokhtashvili, a neurologist from the Akhmeta municipality of Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region who was detained and charged over issuing a forged drug prescription in September, will be spared prison and allowed to continue her professional activities after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
The Telavi District Court approved the plea deal on November 3, fining the doctor GEL 50,000 (USD 18,500), the same amount her supporters had earlier crowdfunded for her in a matter of an hour to secure her release on bail following her arrest.
Kokhtashvili was released from the courtroom following the ruling as she was greeted by family members and supporters. According to RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, the plea deal was proposed by her lawyer and accepted by prosecutors.
Finance Ministry’s Investigation Service reported Kokhtashvili’s arrest on September 11 on allegations of issuing a false prescription for psychotropic medication. The court released her on GEL 50,000 bail the next day, as supporters, including from her local community, rushed to crowdfund the sum in a mass demonstration of solidarity.
Authorities released footage allegedly showing Kokhtashvili, with her image blurred and her voice altered, offering the patient to make a phone call for a prescription, in an alleged breach of stricter regulations on the prescription of psychotropic drugs.
The doctor was later quoted by the media as telling the court that she “had to break the law” after a person approached her, telling her his bedridden grandmother in a remote village needed the medication. “He had paid the registration money, and I felt uneasy not to provide assistance,” Kokhtashvili was quoted as saying.
She was charged under Article 268, Part 2, of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which pertains to “Issuing a forged prescription or other document for the purchase of a psychotropic or potent substance for the purpose of distribution, or its distribution” through the use of an official power. The offense is punishable by a fine or three to six years’ imprisonment, with or without a one-year suspension from professional activities or holding office.
Kokhtashvili’s arrest prompted widespread condemnation both from Akhmeta residents and the medical community, amid concerns that the doctor was entrapped by authorities by involving an “agent provocateur” to take advantage of the neurologist’s compassion. Medical professionals warned that the case could set a troubling precedent and undermine trust between doctors and patients.
Others also linked her prosecution to the outspoken criticism of the government by members of her family, including their participation in ongoing anti-government protests.
The case comes amid tighter regulations on psychotropic medication prescriptions introduced in April. The rules require prescriptions to be renewed every 14 days and patients to appear in person or act through an authorized representative to obtain prescriptions and purchase medication. The regulations also impose daily dosage limits.
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