Ruling party Sec Gen: pardoning Saakashvili would be “gravest” move for President’s career

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said pardoning the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili would be a “gravest” move for President Salome Zourabichvili and her career.

In his remarks over the ongoing controversy around Saakashvili, Kaladze said there was “no critical situation” around the former President’s health, and called the latest developments and statements by Saakashvili’s supporters ”staged performances”.

There is no critical situation at all - these are purposefully staged performances, the main creator and participant of which is Mikheil Saakashvili. [...] These are purposeful, staged performances that have their own actors, are held from different countries, and various contracts and agreements have been signed on how to conduct a PR campaign [on this issue]”, the GD official said.

Kaladze stressed “all criminals” who had committed crimes “must answer to the law”. 

It is up to the President [the issue of pardoning], but if the President makes this decision, I am sure it will be very hard for her personally and for her career in general. It will be the gravest decision - I don't know, maybe you should ask the President”, he concluded.

Zourabichvili told the BBC last month she had “no power” to pardon Saakashvili as cases against the latter were still pending and the domestic legislation prevented pardons from being issued before all outstanding court cases against individuals are completed.

She also said she would not pardon the former President as she did not wish to “become an instrument for more polarisation” on the domestic political scene, and also referenced the “autocratic” former Government of Saakashvili as her motivation against issuing a pardon.

Saakashvili has been receiving treatment at the Vivamedi clinic since May 12, after he was moved from the Gori Military Hospital - where he was transferred in late November 2021 from the hospital of the Gldani No.18 prison. The latter, in turn, served as his detention location after his move from the Rustavi No.12 prison, the initial detention venue, in early November last year.

The third President of Georgia, currently a citizen of Ukraine, was arrested in Tbilisi in October 2021 on his clandestine return to Georgia ahead of municipal elections. He has been serving a six-year term for abuse of power in two separate cases stemming back to his time in office, while three other cases are pending.