Former President Saakashvili Loses Georgian Citizenship

Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is currently Governor of Odessa, a district in Ukraine, has been denied his Georgian citizenship.

Today President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili has signed a decree dismissing the Georgian citizenship of his former counterpart.

In a statement the President’s office have stated that the citizenship of Saakashvili and several other Georgian nationals were terminated as part of the December 4th decree because they became citizens of foreign countries.

"By the President's Decree No 378 issued on December 4th, based on the Law on Citizenship, Mikheil Saakashvili, together with other citizens, was deprived of his Georgian citizenship due to getting another country’s citizenship,” the press release from the President’s office stated.

According to Georgian legislation, a Georgian national loses their Georgian citizenship after acquiring citizenship from a foreign country.

Saakashvili was granted Ukrainian citizenship in late May, when Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appointed him as Governor of Odessa.

The Justice Ministry of Georgia launched proceedings for the termination of Saakashvili’s Georgian citizenship in late October, after receiving an official confirmation from Ukraine of Saakashvili’s Ukrainian citizenship.

Justice Minister of Georgia, Tea Tskulukiani announced yesterday that, as a standard procedure, the ministry notified Saakashvili about facing losing his Georgian citizenship on November 3.

“Saakashvili did not reply,” Tskulukiani stated, “after the expiration of the one-month period, the Justice Ministry sent on December 3 a “conclusion” to President Giorgi Margvelashvili, recommending the termination of Saakashvili’s citizenship,” she commented.