Saakashvili could be named on international search list
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Questions surrounding the charges against former president Mikheil Saakashvili and whether he will be extradited to Georgia to face charges are continuing despite the former leader's refusal to return to his homeland and answer investigators questions.
Global players could name Saakashvili on an international search list after Tbilisi City Court imposed pre-trial detention on Saakashvili last week.
Chairman of the Young Lawyers Association of Georgia Kakha Kojoridze said Saakashvili’s lawyer appealed the court decision to impose pre-trial detention however if the court upholds its original decision, there was a chance an international search will be launched through Interpol.
"The bureau will independently assess the validity of the accusation and whether or not there are political motives behind the charges, and only then a decision will be made to start an international search,” Kojoridze said.
He said an international search did not necessarily mean the country where the ex-president currently lived were "obliged” to automatically arrest him and hand him over to Georgian authorities.
Kojoridze said Saakashvili’s extradition would significantly depend on what type of international agreement Georgia had with that country. He said the issue was also dependent on law enforcement agencies of that country, who would also independently discuss the possibility of extradition while analysing the case materials.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Justice Minister explained whether it was possible Saakashvili could be handed over to Georgian authorities.
Minister Tea Tsulukiani told journalists when a person was charged, he had an obligation to stand before investigators and the court.
"In this case legal measures could be used including international measures which could lead a person appearing in court. Whether this person is Saakashvili or someone else, it does not matter since Saakashvili is an ordinary defendant today,” Tsulukiani said.
Tbilisi City Court sentenced Saakashvili and two other ex-government officials to pre-trial detention on August 2. The decision was made by judicial authorities after the prosecution filed a motion to impose preventative measures on the former president, who is currently abroad.
Saakashvili and members of his UNM-led government - ex-Defence Minister Davit Kezerashvili and ex-Chief Prosecutor Zurab Adeishvili face charges relating to the unlawful seizure of Imedi TV and other assets owned at the time by tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, who died in February 2008, as well as exceeding official authorities that stemmed from the breakup of November 7, 2007 anti-government protests.
PM Irakli Garibashvili said Georgia was a democratic country and its "relationship with any country would not outweigh the former president who was accused of very serious crimes”.
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