Ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili was arrested in Georgia

The ex-president of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili was detained and put into custody in Georgia. This was announced by the country's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

A case of embezzlement and abuse of powers has been instituted against Saakashvili in Georgia, the prime minister said.

The Georgian television channel Pirveli said that Saakashvili is in the Rustavskaya prison, not far from Tbilisi. The ex-president threatens at least nine years in prison-in two criminal cases he has already been convicted in absentia, in two more cases the sentence has not yet been sentenced. In addition, the Georgian prosecutor’s office stated that today the case of illegal crossing of the border (Article 344 of the Criminal Code of Georgia) was opened against Saakashvili.

The lawyer and ex-head of the Rustavi 2 television channel, Nikaramiya, said that he would take the protection of the interests of Mikhail Saakashvili in Georgia. The Georgian Ombudsman Nino Lomjaria said that Saakashvili announced a hunger strike.

After his detention, two videos were published on the page of the ex-president of Georgia, in which Saakashvili says that he “can now be delayed in Tbilisi, but you should know that we are fighting to the end.” He also added that on the day of elections in Georgia, "we will all celebrate the victory together."

In the morning, Saakashvili said that he returned to Georgia, where he was sentenced in absentia to imprisonment. He also published a video message in which he stated that he was in the Georgian Batumi and called on his supporters to vote in the municipal elections, and then hold the action in Tbilisi.

His location was not known for certain. Interfax notes that the frames on the video are blurred and the whereabouts of the ex-president are determined by them. The Rain television channel* said that they managed to determine exactly where Saakashvili was filming-judging by the Google Street View cards, this is the northern part of the Primorsky Park Lech and Maria Kachinsky in the southwest of Batumi.

In the background, the video can be considered high houses with illumination, one of the buildings can be seen a green sign - this is Legend Business Hotel, writes Rain, next to it is Orbi Beach Tower. At the same time, according to the channel, the hotel was built only in 2018; Saakashvili left the country in 2013, which could indicate that the video is fresh.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed that Saakashvili did not cross the state border. Later, the Georgian television channel Pirveli said that Saakashvili was detained in one of the apartments on Gurashvili Avenue in Tbilisi.

Earlier, the ex-president of Georgia published a screenshot of an electronic ticket and wrote in social networks that he intends to arrive in the country with Kyiv-Tbilisi flight on the evening of October 2, when the voting in local elections will be completed. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated that as soon as Saakashvili crosses the border, he "will be arrested and sent to prison."

Saakashvili left Georgia immediately after the expiration of authority in 2013. He was sentenced by the court in Tbilisi to 3 and 6 years in prison in two criminal cases - for the excess and malicious use of official powers.

In 2015, the ex-president of Georgia began his political career in Ukraine. After Petro Poroshenko came to power, he was appointed chairman of the Odessa Regional State Administration. For this, he received Ukrainian citizenship and abandoned Georgian. However, in July 2017, Saakashvili was taken away from Saakashvili, and he was deported. After the victory in the election, Vladimir Zelensky returned citizenship to the Georgian policy and appointed Saakashvili the head of the executive committee of the National Council of Ukraine of Ukraine.

* The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation recognized the media as an “foreign agent”

Updated 21:12 - added information about the new criminal case, 22:50 - about a hunger strike