Ex-Georgia President Saakashvili Faces Over 12 Years in Prison Under New Verdict

Ex-Georgia President Saakashvili Faces Over 12 Years in Prison Under New Verdict

A court in Georgia has handed down an additional jail sentence to ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, increasing his total imprisonment period to 12 and a half years. Saakashvili, who was the President of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, had earlier received convictions for abuse of authority and misappropriation of funds. He along with his defense team dismissed these allegations, claiming they were driven by political motives. Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili handed down an additional four years and six months to the former president, who is 57 years old, for offenses related to unlawful border crossing, which extends his current prison term. Through a video conference, Saakashvili rejected the verdict calling it "a completely unlawful and unfair sentence against me for crimes I did not commit." "They aim to erase me in jail," he stated. "Nevertheless, I will continue fighting until the very end," he pledged. As stated by his attorney, Beka Basilaia, the r…