A court has found Mikhail Saakashvili guilty of embezzling approximately $3.2 million
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has been slapped with a nine-year prison term after being found guilty of embezzlement, the local media has reported.
Saakashvili was detained in October 2021 after secretly returning to Georgia during an election in the country. The authorities in Tbilisi accused him of abuse of power, embezzlement, and other offenses during his time in office between 2004 and 2013. During the incarceration, the former president lost a lot of weight and repeatedly complained about his poor health condition.
The Georgian TV channel Mtavari Arxi said on Wednesday that Saakashvili received his sentence for embezzling $3.2 million in state funds in the so-called “suits and bouquets” case.
Teimuraz Janashia, the ex-president’s former head of security, was also found guilty, but was only ordered by the judge to pay a fine of 3,000 lari (around $1,000), according to the broadcaster.
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