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Georgia’s Deputy Prosecutor General: Saakashvili’s Extradition is Up to Ukraine

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Giorgi Gogadze says that Georgia’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s extradition is now up to Ukraine, adding Georgia has already sent requests of his extradition several times.

“The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia (POG) has a specific relationship with the competent authorities of Ukraine, and we have sent requests asking for the extradition of Mikheil Saakashvili to Georgia,” he stated.

Gogadze said the POG of Georgia will make sure that any person who committed a crime in Georgia is held responsible.

“However, it is up to Ukraine to decide whether to send Saakashvili to Georgia or not,” he added.

Georgian POG listed the charges brought against by Saakashvili in Georgia:

1. Abuse of official powers by a public political official.

2. Dispersing the 2007 anti-government protests as well as for the raid on Imedi TV station.

3. Organizing an attack against the then-opposition MP Valeri Gelashvili, who was severely beaten by masked, armed men in Tbilisi in 2005.

4. For embezzlement of state budget funds in large quantities committed with prior agreement by a group using official positions.

At present, Georgia has sent three requests to Ukraine.

Saakashvili was the third President of Georgia from 2004-2007, and again in 2008-2013.

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko granted Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015, when appointing him as the Governor of Odessa.

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, which led to a disagreement between Poroshenko and the ex-Georgian President.

Poroshenko stripped Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship in July. He has several times requested asylum in Ukraine, on the grounds of a person in need of special protection, which in turn stops him being extradited to another country, however his request was denied.

On January 5, 2018, Tbilisi City Court found Saakashvili guilty of abuse of power in the Alexander Girgvliani murder case.

The judge announced on Friday that Saakashvili had been sentenced to 3 years in jail in absentia.

The investigation revealed that Saakashvili had promised the then-Chief of the Constitutional Security Department to illegally pardon persons convicted of the murder of Sandro Girgvliani, and later pardoned them independently, not consulting with the Pardon Commission.

By Thea Morrison