Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been sentenced to an additional nine years in prison after being found guilty of embezzling millions in state funds, according to a March 12 ruling from the Tbilisi City Court, reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The court found Saakashvili guilty of misappropriating 9 million Georgian lari (about $5.4 million at the time) from the state budget between 2009 and 2013, using the money for personal luxuries such as designer clothes, luxury hotel stays, and cosmetic treatments.
The verdict was handed down by Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili, who also sentenced Teimuraz Janashia, the former head of Georgia’s Special Guard Service, to pay a fine of 300,000 lari (roughly $108,000) for abuse of office.
Both Saakashvili and Janashia deny the charges, with Saakashvili calling the trial politically motivated and accusing Georgia’s ruling party of acting on behalf of Moscow.
This was reported by The Kyiv Independent.
From Reformist Leader to Political Prisoner
Saakashvili was once hailed as a reform-minded leader steering Georgia on a pro-Western path. He served as president from 2004 to 2013.
His political downfall came after Georgia’s 2008 war with Russia, and in the years that followed, the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party rose to power.
After several years abroad — including a stint as governor of Ukraine’s Odesa region — Saakashvili returned to Georgia in 2021, where he was immediately arrested and imprisoned. He is already serving a six-year sentence for abuse of power linked to the 2005 beating of opposition MP Valery Gelashvili, and a separate three-year sentence for pardoning four police officers convicted of murder in 2008.
The latest sentence pushes his total prison time to 18 years, although some sentences may overlap.
Accusations of Kremlin Influence
The former president has long accused Bidzina Ivanishvili, the powerful founder of the Georgian Dream party, of using the justice system to settle political scores. Saakashvili claims Ivanishvili is doing Russia’s bidding, pointing to his own outspoken criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin as the reason for his legal troubles.
Though the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in 2023 that Saakashvili’s trials did not appear to violate legal fairness, international concern remains high, especially after images of the former president’s deteriorating health were made public.
In February 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Georgian government was "killing" Saakashvili, demanding that his Ukrainian citizenship and past service as Odesa governor be respected.
Political Fallout
The ruling arrives at a time of rising political tension in Georgia.
Mass protests erupted in Tbilisi following disputed elections in October, which saw Georgian Dream retain power despite growing concerns about democratic backsliding and pro-Russian policies.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s recent comments suggesting that EU integration could be delayed until 2028 have only deepened Georgia’s internal crisis and strained ties with Western allies.
