According to the Prosecutor?s Office, the investigation found that ?Melia was found in contempt of court after verbally insulting the judge during an administrative hearing at Tbilisi City Court on November 10, 2025.? He was charged under Article 366(2) of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. It is the fourth charge brought against the opposition politician.

Melia was sentenced to eight months in prison in June for defying the Georgian Dream parliament?s temporary investigative comission which examined alleged crimes by former officials. Like several other opposition leaders, Melia boycotted the commission and later refused to pay the court-imposed bail.

Although he was due to be released in January, Tbilisi City Court in November found him guilty of contempt of court in a separate case stemming from a hearing held a day after his controversial arrest, which Melia and his supporters described as an “abduction.” During that hearing, Melia splashed water from a bottle at Judge Irakli Shvangiradze after attempting to describe the circumstances of his arrest and concluding that the judge showed little interest.

Melia is also among eight opposition figures facing sabotage-related charges, which carry a potential sentence of two to four years in prison.