Saakashvili sentenced to 9 years in prison in Georgia

Earlier, Saakashvili had also been sentenced in other cases.

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been sentenced to nine years in prison for embezzlement of budget funds in the so-called “jacket case, ” Ekho Kavkaza reports .

According to journalists, the decision was announced by Tbilisi City Court Judge Balri Kochlamazashvili. Also, former head of the Special Security Service Teimuraz Janashia was found guilty of abuse of office and fined 300 thousand lari (3.9 million UAH – UNIAN).

The publication recalled that Saakashvili and Janashia have repeatedly denied the accusations and emphasized that the process is political in nature.

At the same time, the prosecutor’s office claimed that from May 1, 2009 to February 25, 2013, on the instructions and by Saakashvili’s organization, 9 million lari (approximately $5.4 million at that time) were spent from the state budget for his personal purposes.

“The case presents hundreds of thousands of lari in expenses for cosmetic services provided in leading clinics abroad: it is impossible to link these expenses with the policy of non-recognition of the occupied territories. The case also presents documents confirming payment for the then president’s education, which cost the budget 60,000 lari. These expenses cannot be considered expenses incurred in the interests of the country,” the judge noted before announcing the verdict.

Ekho Kavkaza emphasized that Saakashvili is already serving a six-year sentence. Sentences against him were issued in two other cases, namely the pardon of Sandro Girgvliani’s murderers and the beating of MP Valeri Gelashvili.

“The new term of imprisonment will be calculated from the moment of Mikheil Saakashvili’s detention – October 1, 2021. Thus, according to the verdict, he will be able to be released only on October 1, 2030. At the same time, trials are ongoing against him in cases of the events of November 7, 2007 and illegal border crossing,” the article concluded.

Mikheil Saakashvili – Latest News

Earlier, the former Georgian president commented on the relationship between Trump and Zelensky . Saakashvili believes that the US president is an intelligent person and “not crazy at all.”

“I would like to remind you that even during World War II, Churchill initially had difficult negotiations with the then President of the United States, Roosevelt. And he (Churchill – UNIAN) spent about a year and a half to convince Roosevelt to help the anti-Hitler coalition,” he recalled.

It was also reported that last fall Saakashvili addressed the Georgian opposition and called on people to protest in the country. The politician made such statements against the backdrop of the election results in Georgia. He noted that the opposition had won a convincing victory, but the results had been falsified by officials.

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