A court in Tbilisi, Georgia, has sentenced former President Mikheil Saakashvili to nine years in prison for embezzling millions of dollars in public funds, marking another legal setback for the ex-leader.
The ruling by Tbilisi City Court Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili adds to Saakashvili’s existing six-year prison sentence from 2021 for abuse of power. His supporters erupted in protest, calling the verdict politically motivated and accusing the ruling Georgia Dream party of orchestrating the case to silence opposition.
Saakashvili, who led Georgia from 2004 to 2013 after the Rose Revolution, was convicted alongside Temur Janashia, former head of the Special State Guarding Service. Janashia was fined $106,000 for a lesser offense of abuse of power.
Once celebrated for anti-corruption reforms and standing up to Russia, Saakashvili was arrested in 2021 after secretly returning to Georgia to support the opposition ahead of elections. He faces additional charges, including illegal border crossing.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that his case met legal standards, dismissing claims of political persecution. Meanwhile, Georgia’s government has faced international criticism for democratic backsliding, leading the EU to suspend its accession talks with the country in 2024.
