SUKHUM, May 5. /TASS/. The Abkhazia Supreme Court sentenced Georgian citizen Kristine Takalandze, accused of spying for Georgia, to ten and a half years in prison on Friday, her lawyer Avtandil Chkadua told TASS.

"Today the court sentenced Takalandze to 10 years and 6 months in prison [to be served in a penal colony]," Chkadua said. According to the lawyer, Takalandze does not admit her guilt. The lawyer intends to appeal the Supreme Court's decision within the 15 days allowed by law.

"[I hereby decree] to find Kristine Velodievna Takalandze <...> guilty of committing a crime under Article 274 (Espionage) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Abkhazia and to sentence her to 10 years and six months of imprisonment in a penal colony. Takalandze shall remain in detention. The term of imprisonment shall be calculated from the date of her actual detention, on July 20, 2022," the verdict said.

Earlier, it was reported that the state prosecution demanded 13 years imprisonment for the Georgian citizen for her alleged spy activities. On July 25, 2022, Abkhazian investigators launched criminal proceedings against Takalandze on espionage charges. The Supreme Court of Abkhazia started probing into the criminal case in January.

According to investigators, from September 2021 to July 20, 2022, Takalandze, acting deliberately on the instructions of foreign intelligence, was engaged in gathering and transferring data to representatives of Georgian intelligence services constituting state, military and other information protected by Abkhazian law.