A court has found Mikhail Saakashvili guilty of embezzling $3.2 million
FILE PHOTO © Sputnik / Stringer
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has been sentenced to nine years in prison for embezzlement, according to local media.
Saakashvili was detained in October 2021 after secretly returning to Georgia during an election in the country. The authorities in Tbilisi accused him of abuse of power, embezzlement, and other offenses during his time in office between 2004 and 2013. During his incarceration, the former president has repeatedly complained about his poor health condition.
The Georgian TV channel Mtavari Arxi said on Wednesday that Saakashvili received his sentence for embezzling $3.2 million in state funds in the so-called “suits and bouquets” case.
Teimuraz Janashia, the ex-president’s former head of security, was also found guilty, but was ordered to pay a fine of 3,000 lari (around $1,000), according to the broadcaster.
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Saakashvili was first charged with embezzlement in 2014. Prosecutors said that during his presidency, he used state money to buy suits, coats, watches and other items for himself as well as pay for his son’s education, undergo cosmetic procedures and rent expensive cars and a plane.
In August 2008, Saakashvili ordered Georgian troops to invade the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, which provoked a short military conflict with Russia after its peacekeepers stationed in the area were targeted. His presidency is also remembered for a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Saakashvili fled the country after his term in office ended. In 2015, he obtained a Ukrainian passport and was appointed the governor of Odessa Region by then-President Pyotr Poroshenko. However, he only held the position for a year and resigned amid a scandal, accusing the Kiev authorities of being corrupt.