Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been sentenced to nine years in prison for large-scale embezzlement of public funds in a case known as the "clothing case," IPN reports, citing ekhokavkaza.com.
The sentence was handed down by the Tbilisi City Court. According to the investigation, between 2009 and 2013, Saakashvili used public funds amounting to nine million lari (equivalent to 5.4 million euros at the time) for personal purposes.
In the same case, the former head of the Special State Protection Service, Teimuraz Janashia, was also convicted. He was accused of abuse of office and fined 300,000 lari (approximately 100,000 euros today).
Both Saakashvili and Janashia have repeatedly denied the charges, claiming that the case is politically motivated.
Mikheil Saakashvili is already serving a six-year prison sentence in connection with two other cases. The former Georgian president was arrested on October 1, 2021, after returning to Georgia.
According to the court's ruling, Saakashvili will be eligible for release on October 1, 2030. Meanwhile, he remains under investigation for multiple other charges.
Photo source: georgiatoday.ge
