Mikheil Saakashvili sentenced to 9 years in prison

The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, to nine years in prison, Georgian media reports.

The investigation against Saakashvili into the embezzlement of approximately 9 million lari from state funds has lasted around ten years. Article 182 of the Georgian Criminal Code provides for imprisonment from seven to 11 years. The second defendant in the case, Teimuraz Janashia, who is the former head of the country’s State Security Service, has been fined 300,000 lari. The case refers to the embezzlement of over 8.8 million lari from September 2009 to February 2013. According to the prosecution, this amount was spent by Saakashvili on luxury hotels and resorts, and clothing purchases. The list includes seven jackets and a cashmere sports coat purchased in London for $28,600, as well as two handmade suits worth $4,600. Saakashvili has stated that the charges are absurd and that he does not plead guilty.