Ukraine refuses extradition of former Georgian officials

Ukrainian authorities are refusing to cooperate with Georgia and extradite two former Georgian high officials who are currently wanted in their home country.

In today’s special statement, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia said it had addressed Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office with petitions on the extradition of Georgia’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili and ex-Justice Minister Zurab Adeishvili, who are both wanted by Georgian law enforcement agencies. In addition, an INTERPOL red notice has been issued in Adeishvili’s name.

"[But] the Ukrainian side has failed to cooperate with the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia in the matter of the extradition of Mikheil Saakashvili and Zurab Adeishvili to Georgia, and has refused to extradite the above mentioned persons,” said the Georgian side.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia noted extradition of wanted persons between Ukraine and Georgia were carried out in accordance with the European Convention on Extradition of 1957, the Minsk Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters of 1993 and a bilateral agreement signed between the two nations in 1995.

The Georgian side said Ukraine was obligated to extradite wanted persons to Georgia, and vice versa, based on those international treaties and agreements signed by Georgia and Ukraine, but despite this, the Ukrainian side "failed” to cooperate.

Former Georgian president Saakashvili, who was charged in Georgia in absentia for abuse of official authority, was last week appointed the position of aide to the Ukrainian president to help the war-torn country on its path to reform.

Similarly Adeishvili, who was also charged in Georgia in absentia for abuse of power with the use of violence, inhumane treatment, provoking a crime and fabricating evidence, was said to be in Ukraine and had participated in consultations about the ways the country can fight corruption.