Prepared by Messenger Staff
Court Orders Former President Saakashvili to Repay GEL 9 Million in 'Jackets Case'
Tbilisi City Court has ruled that former President Mikheil Saakashvili must repay GEL 9 million in connection with the so-called "jackets case," for which he is serving a nine-year prison sentence.
Saakashvili's lawyer, Beka Basilaia, criticized the decision, saying, "The court system fully obeys Bidzina Ivanishvili's instructions," and called Saakashvili a "political prisoner."
The court also ordered Teimuraz Janashia, the former head of Georgia's Special State Protection Service under Saakashvili, to cover most of the amount, GEL 8.3 million, jointly with Saakashvili, Basilaia told Civil.ge.
Earlier, the Court of Appeals upheld Saakashvili's prison sentence. Prosecutors said that between 2009 and 2012, funds allocated to the Special State Protection Service were misused for personal expenses, including luxury hotels, spa treatments, cosmetic clinics, and clothing for Saakashvili and his associates.
Saakashvili, who served as president from 2004 to 2013, was previously convicted of abuse of power in 2018 and sentenced in absentia to six years in prison. He returned to Georgia from Ukraine in 2021 and was arrested, receiving an additional four years and six months for illegally crossing the border. His total sentence extends until 2032.
He also faces other criminal charges linked to 2007 events, including the dispersal of anti-government protests, a raid on Imedi TV, and the seizure of assets tied to tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili.
After a long hunger strike, Saakashvili was transferred from prison to Tbilisi's Vivamedi clinic, where he remains under medical supervision.
Opposition Alleges Intimidation Ahead of Georgia Local Elections
The opposition Lelo/Strong Georgia coalition has accused the Georgian Dream party of pressure, threats, and bribery after several of its candidates withdrew from local council and mayoral races ahead of the October 4 elections.
Authorities opened an investigation on September 29 following the release of an audio recording by Lelo, which it says proves the candidates faced coercion. In the recording, Kara Orujev, a local council candidate in Kizilajlo village, Marneuli Municipality, mentions "big businessmen" and "thieves-in-law" influencing his decision to step down. He also says he was promised a position in upcoming parliamentary elections.
Irakli Kupradze, Lelo's secretary general and Tbilisi mayoral candidate, accused Georgian Dream, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, and the State Security Service of pressuring opposition members through threats and intimidation. "He names GD-linked businesses. He names the criminal underground. He says he was pressured with the involvement of the SSSG and local police officers," Kupradze said.
Several opposition withdrawals have left Georgian Dream candidates running unchallenged in nearly half of the municipalities. Lelo and former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia party chose to participate in the elections by fielding joint candidates, while parts of the opposition continue to boycott, citing state repression and a lack of credible observation.
