Baghaturia says Saakashvili worth 200-300 million USD

Leader of the Kartuli Dasi (Georgian Troupe) party, Jondi Baghaturia claims former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his family are worth an estimated 300 million USD. Baghaturia held a special press conference to present a 186 page list of various companies and entities which are owned or controlled by Saakashvili and his family.

“I have sent the information regarding the property (owned by Saakashvili) to the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor’s office,” Baghaturia said, adding that Saakashvili’s mother, Giuli Alsania is an ultimate monopolist in the Georgian education field, owning several universities, private schools and other educational centers in Tbilisi and in the regions as well..

“The property owned by Saakashvili is several times larger compared to his income,” Baghaturia said. He called on the prosecutor’s office to start an investigation and reveal the truth behind the former president’s wealth.

A Georgian court has already impounded properties belonging to former President Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as the property owned by his wife Sandra Roelofs and other family members, but Baghaturia says the former president owns a lot more, and large part of his wealth was taken away from Georgian citizens.

Saakashvili, who lives in New-York and is not going to cooperate with the prosecutor’s office is being charged with embezzling up to 8.8 million GEL in public funds. In the official statement following the court’s decision, the Prosecutor’s Office said there was a well-founded reason to believe that Saakashvili might avoid financial responsibility by selling or otherwise hiding his property. Therefore, the court had to impound it.

According to Saakashvili’s attorney, Oto Kakhidze, the court ordered the seizure of 2 hectars of real estate in Kvareli, Kakheti, and a 75 square meters house, a 500 square meter plot of land in Ozurgeti, as well as plot of land measuring 0.2 hectares in Kvareli, owned by Saakashvili’s mother and a Toyota RAV4, and two apartments in Tbilisi, owned by former president’s wife and grandmother.

In his recent TV interview Saakashvili once again spoke about the charges against him and said he does not deserve to have his property seized. “I am the one who increased the state budget 11 times and dragged the country out of the mud,” Saakashvili said, claiming he had enough legal income as a president to accumulate some property.

Saakashvili says the investigation against him and his family is a ridiculous process and he does not have any plans to cooperate with the prosecutor’s office.