Ukraine Deprives Georgia’s Ex-President Saakashvili of Citizenship

Georgia’s former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has lost his Ukrainian citizenship. According to official reports, his citizenship was deprived due to violations of Article 19 of the Law on Ukrainian Citizenship.

Ukrainian media reports that the State Migration Service has said that Saakashvili had submitted incorrect information when he applied for citizenship in 2015. He said that he was not under investigation in Ukraine or abroad, while in fact he was being investigated in Georgia for various charges.

Ex-Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Davit Sakvarelidze, a Saakashvili ally, wrote on Facebook that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s decision puts him in line with other world dictators.

“Poroshenko has stripped Saakashvili of his citizenship and banned him from entering Ukraine. He’s so scared! Ukraine has got a new Yanukovych – an English-speaking one,” Sakvarelidze’s post reads.

Kyivpost reports that according to Reformist lawmaker Sergii Leshchenko, Saakashvili is now in the United States.

“Saakashvili cannot physically come back to Ukraine because he will be arrested in Boryspil when he arrives and will be immediately extradited to Georgia,” he said.

Poroshenko gave Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015, when appointing him as the Governor of Odesa.

In December 2015, Georgian authorities stripped Saakashvili of Georgian citizenship as dual citizenship is not allowed in Georgia.

In November 2016, Saakashvili quit his post and formed an opposition party and was seen heavily criticizing Ukrainian authorities.

Saakashvili was the third president of Georgia between 2004-2007 and again from 2008-2013.

Thea Morrison