Defendant accused of Longford road traffic offences is alleged to have fled the country

A Georgian national accused of road traffic offences is alleged to have fled the country, a recent sitting of Longford District was told.

Longford solicitor, Diarmuid Quinn, who represented the accused, Ramazi Chitiashvilli, told the court he had received an email the night before in which a friend of the man had informed him he was “no longer in the state.”

Judge Deirdre Gearty pointed out that a Georgian interpreter had been brought in for the matter.

41 year old Mr Chitiashvilli who had an address of 2 Acorns Academy, Manulla, Mayo, stands accused of dangerous driving and failing to comply with the orders of Garda Edward J Flanagan when asked to provide a blood/urine sample.

Acting for the state, Sgt Enda Daly, in referencing the DPP v Ratinski case that is currently underway in the High Court, the subject of which concerns how a sample is stored and has resulted in a pause on rulings in cases involving samples - told the court that this particular matter “also falls under the Ratinski case.”

“If he isn’t here, then it falls under nothing!” Judge Gearty replied, “There’s a lot of ways to skin a cat!”

At Mr Quinn’s request, Judge Gearty put a second calling on the case meaning it would be temporarily adjourned.

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