Georgian FM: Saakashvili’s extradition to Ukraine excluded

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani says that the extradition of Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine, who was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1, is impossible because extradition to the country could take place if an individual violated the law of Ukraine. 

 

Zalkaliani says that before receiving Ukrainian citizenship and taking an official post there in the National Reforms Council, Saakashvili was a citizen of Georgia, Georgian president and was convicted for crimes he committed in Georgia. 

 

The Ukrainian government claims that they will take all measures to ensure the return of Saakashvili. 

 

However, Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili says that ‘we will accept no requests from anyone in the world’ to release Saakashvili. 

 

“Saakashvili will leave Georgia only after he serves his prison term,” Garibashvili said. 

 

Saakashvili returned to Georgia ahead of the October 2 municipal elections, for the first time since 2013, to help his United National Movement party defeat the Georgian Dream and finally replace the government. 

 

He was convicted in absentia back in 2018 for abuse of authority and was sentenced to six years in prison. 

 

Saakashvili has also been charged with several cases, including illegally crossing the Georgian border from Ukraine.