German authorities arrested former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili on November 27, officials in Berlin have confirmed, and will soon begin deliberations on whether to extradite him to Georgia.

Okruashvili was declared a fugitive after failing to appear at a November 14 court hearing in Tbilisi; Georgian authorities requested via Interpol that Okruashvili be arrested, the German Prosecutor’s Office in Berlin said.

Okruashvili was initially arrested on September 29, two days after the ex-minister returned to the political spotlight by accusing former ally and presidential incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili of involvement in corruption and murder plots and announcing a new party, the Movement for a United Georgia.

Charged with extortion, money laundering, abuse of power and criminal negligence, he confessed to some of the charges and recanted his accusations in a televised interrogation before being released on GEL 10 million bail on October 9.

His controversial arrest sparked mass protest and gave impetus to the country’s opposition forces. Okruashvili left Georgia for Germany under disputed circumstances the evening before a planned anti-government rally on November 2.

The Prosecutor General’s Office claims he was granted permission to leave to seek medical attention. Okruashvili maintains he was forced out of the country due to government fears he would attend the protest. He later appeared on Imedi TV live from Munich, restating his allegations against Saakashvili and saying he had only confessed under duress.

Michael Grunwald, a spokesman for the German Prosecutor’s Office, said Okruashvili was arrested at a Berlin hotel on November 27, and it was up to the German court to decide on his extradition to Georgia.

“The Georgian authorities have 40 days to send us the relevant documents. Only once this paperwork has been received will [the German side] be in a position to make a decision about his extradition,” Grunwald told the paper in an official statement.

Before his arrest in Berlin, Okruashvili’s political allies suggested he would seek political asylum abroad.

Georgian police confirmed the arrest on November 28, but would not comment further.