Saakashvili still not allowed to attend trial hearing in own case
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili is charged with five offenses. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has again not been allowed by the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia to attend a trial in Tbilisi City Court today about an embezzlement case in which he is implicated.
The case concerns the embezzlement of 8.8 million GEL in state funds while Saakashvili served as the president of Georgia.
Earlier this month, Saakashvili was not allowed to attend a trial hearing in another case which concerns the dispersal of an opposition rally in Tbilisi in November 2007, and an illegal raid on Imedi TV.
Saakashvili was charged with abuse of power in the case.
The Special Penitentiary Service says that opposition activists had plans to cause unrest on the streets during the transportation of Saakashvili to court during the previous trial hearing, and that law enforcement agencies are investigating this.
In a written statement the Ministry of Justice Penitentiary Department said the refusal was due to both security as well as medical concerns since “Saakashvili had ceased receiving treatment”
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Chief penitentiary medical officer had earlier said #Saakashvili was being treated pic.twitter.com/QAzzse8apf
The agency also stated that Saakashvili’s presence at the trial could have further complicated his health, as the former president has been on hunger strike for 46 days.
The Special Penitentiary Service stated that Saakashvili can participate in the hearing remotely.
Saakashvili said yesterday, however, that he wishes to attend the trial hearing in person.
His lawyers maintain that the State Penitentiary Service's refusal is ‘groundless’ and that ‘Saakashvili’s rights are being violated.’
Saakashvili was convicted in Georgia in absentia in 2018 for abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison.
He has also been charged with five other offences.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze has stated that the Georgian Dream government ‘will be happy’ if former president Mikheil Saakashvili calls off his 43-day hunger strike ‘without raising preconditions.’Saakashvili said yesterday that he is ready to stop his hunger strike if he is brought to a civil clinic which will provide proper medical care in the post-hunger strike period.
Tbilisi City Court has denied the accusations of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s legal team that the court restricted the ex-president’s right to protection by banning his two lawyers from attending the trial on November 10.
The European Court of Human Rights has rejected a complaint by former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili on his transfer to a private clinic from a prison hospital, and instead urged him to call off his hunger strike, the Georgian Ministry of Justice said yesterday and released an interim judgement of the court.The court demanded from the Georgian government to inform them about Saakashvili’s state of health and ensure proper medical care for him now and in the post-hunger-strike period.
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has not been allowed by the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia to attend a trial in Tbilisi City Court today which is discussing a case involving him.
Riot police and water cannons are at Baratashvili bridge in central Tbilisi, where activists of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party are marching to block roads on the both banks of the Mtkvari River.The UNM is demanding an ‘immediate transfer’ of former president Mikheil Saakashvili to a civil clinic from a prison hospital, after a 46-day hunger strike.
Tbilisi City Court Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili says that trial hearings in a case involving former president Mikheil Saakashvili may be held in prison if Saakashvili requests.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party rally, which aimed to block roads on both banks of the Mtkvari River today, ended at the presidential palace in central Tbilisi shortly before as the party leadership changed their previous plans.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office says that 140,000 GEL (about $44,454./€38,841) in state funds were spent on weight loss procedures in Innsbruck, Austria when Mikheil Saakashvili served as the third president of Georgia.
Georgian Minister of Culture and former Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani says that if there is a need, former president Mikheil Saakashvili will be brought to a civil clinic from a prison hospital.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze says that former president Mikheil Saakashvili may be brought to court to attend trial hearings in his own cases, as Saakashvili has called off his 50-day hunger strike and is now receiving medical care in Gori military hospital. Bregadze has told Imedi TV that Saakashvili was refused attendance at three trial hearings in cases concerning him because of ‘security threats and taking Saakshvili’s health while on hunger strike into account.’