Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Georgian prosecutors charge ex-president Saakashvili

Published 07/28/2014, 09:21 AM
Updated 07/28/2014, 09:30 AM
Georgian prosecutors charge ex-president Saakashvili

Georgian prosecutors charge ex-president Saakashvili

By Margarita Antidze

TBILISI (Reuters) - The prosecutor's office in Georgia has filed criminal charges against former President Mikhail Saakashvili in what the opposition says is a political witch-hunt by the ex-Soviet republic's new leaders.

Dozens of former officials, including a former prime minister, have been arrested on charges such as abuse of power and corruption since Saakashvili's party lost an election two years ago.

Saakashvili was charged with exceeding his authority but left the South Caucasus country of 4.5 million after his second presidency ended last November.

Other charges against him relate to the use of force to break up a protest in the capital Tbilisi in November 2007 and to a raid on a television station.

Saakashvili, 46, had failed to appear at the prosecutor's office on Monday after being summoned for questioning for the second time in four months.

"I will obviously not take part in this farce," Saakashvili, who became president in 2004 after the bloodless "Rose Revolution", wrote on his Facebook page.

He warned that making former officials the target of the Georgian Dream ruling coalition's political "revenge" would strain Georgia's relations with its Western allies.

The former president, who was an ally of the United States, also said that legal proceedings against him were aimed at "pleasing Russia," with whom Georgia fought a brief war in 2008.

Leaders of Georgian Dream, which ousted Saakashvili's party at the polls, denies the prosecution of former officials is political and promise a fair trial.

But Western countries have expressed concern that the new government has used selective justice and political persecution against opponents in Georgia, which is crossed by pipelines that carry Caspian oil and gas to Europe and is the focus of geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the West.

Saakashvili's allies say the arrest of former leaders is politically motivated and are concerned that it could deter much-needed investment.

© Reuters. Former Georgian president Saakashvili addresses members of a Batkivshchyna party during a meeting in central Kiev

"This process is aimed at destroying the United National Movement (Saakashvili's party) ... It's very bad for our country's image," Georgy Gabashvili, an opposition lawmaker, said.

(Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.