Acting Polish Ambassador summoned to Georgian foreign office over incident involving medical professional
In a statement, the Service said while the visiting doctors had been given official permission to take samples, the subsequent action had “create[d] additional concerns and contradicted both medical ethics and legal norms”. Photo: MFA of Georgia
Tweet 
Share
The acting Polish Ambassador to Georgia was on Monday summoned to the country’s foreign office over last week’s incident involving a visiting Polish medical professional who allegedly attempted to conceal a sample taken from the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili and smuggle it out of the clinic the former official is receiving treatment at.
The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia on Friday released video footage allegedly showing the medical professional, from a visiting group of Polish doctors assessing treatment offered to Saakashvili by Tbilisi’s Vivamedi clinic, attempting to smuggle the sample by concealing it in his shoe.
In a statement, the Service said while the visiting doctors had been given official permission to take samples, the subsequent action had “create[d] additional concerns and contradicted both medical ethics and legal norms”.
In his comments to the media, Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze asked the country’s foreign office to hear the position of the Polish Embassy in Georgia over the incident.
Saakashvili is currently serving a six-year-term for abuse of power while in office in two separate cases, while three other cases involving him are still pending. He was arrested in Tbilisi in October 2021 after eight years abroad, following his clandestine return to Georgia ahead of domestic municipal elections.