Former President sentenced to prison for illegal border crossing

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison for illegally crossing the country's border. The Tbilisi City Court found Saakashvili guilty of crossing the Georgian border illegally in 2021 and announced its verdict. The court also announced that Saakashvili would be deprived of the right to work as a civil servant for 3 years.

THIRD PRISON SENTENCE

The sentence announced today is the third prison sentence handed down to Saakashvili. Saakashvili, who served as President between 2004 and 2013, continued to be tried on various charges after his term ended. In 2018, he was sentenced in absentia to 6 years in prison for abusing his pardon power in a murder case during his tenure and for ordering the beating of Member of Parliament Valeri Gelashvili. Additionally, on March 12, 2022, he received a 9-year prison sentence in a corruption case for embezzling state budget funds.

ARRESTED AFTER RETURNING TO HIS COUNTRY

Saakashvili left his country in 2013 after his term ended. However, he returned to Georgia on October 1, 2021, and was immediately taken into custody. Arrested due to the prison sentence handed down in absentia, Saakashvili was sent to a prison in the city of Rustavi. Following his arrest, Saakashvili staged a 50-day hunger strike to voice his protests. As his health deteriorated during this period, Saakashvili was taken for treatment in the city of Gori.

Saakashvili's health worsened during his time in prison. In early 2022, he began another hunger strike in the Rustavi prison between February 21 and March 10. Subsequently, on May 12, 2022, he was transferred to the Vivamedi Clinic in Tbilisi for continued treatment. Saakashvili has been receiving treatment there while remaining in custody.

CLAIMS TO BE A POLITICAL PRISONER

Saakashvili denies the charges against him, stating that he believes the entire process is a political decision. The former President argues that the Georgian government is targeting him as a political prisoner and maintains that he is innocent.

News Source: 12punto