Justice Minister: Empathy centre’s diagnosis on ex-Pres. Saakashvili not “reliable,  infallible”

Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Thursday said the health reports of the Georgian-based rehabilitation centre Empathy on imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s condition were not “reliable and infallible”, based on the conclusions of the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau.

The Ministry received the conclusions on psychiatric, gastroenterological and neurological diagnoses from the Bureau today. They will be submitted to the court in the “proper way” and the court will further consider Saakashvili’s release or deferral of the rest of his sentence on medical grounds, Bregadze said.

As he explained, the Special Penitentiary Service had applied to the National Forensics Bureau on December 8 to establish the “authenticity and reliability” of the conclusions [on Saakashvili’s health condition] presented by the Empathy centre.

The situation related to Saakashvili is always a “subject of some speculation” and the Ministry tries to “properly” inform the public on the matter, Bregadze added.

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.