Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is accused of embezzling $2.7 million of public funds. On Wednesday, a court session was held in his homeland. The politician declared his innocence, sang the anthem of Ukraine, showed the audience the inverted flag of this country and spoke about his secret negotiations with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Saakashvili's Secret Diplomacy

Speaking in court, Saakashvili said that while holding the post of President of Georgia, he held several secret meetings with Alexander Lukashenko. Allegedly, he asked the President of Belarus not to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“I have been to London four times and had four secret meetings with Lukashenka. I am talking about this for the first time, it was secret diplomacy. The fact that the territories have not yet been recognized by the Belarusian president is the result of these meetings,” said the ex-president of Georgia.

Lukashenka himself said earlier in an interview with Vladimir Solovyov that he did not exclude the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The host of the Soloviev Live YouTube channel asked the Belarusian leader when he would recognize Crimea as Russian, and Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent.

“Is there any need for this? As soon as I understand, the President (of Russia Vladimir Putin -) will tell me that there is a need for this, ”Alexander Lukashenko answered.

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Representation in court

The prosecution in Georgia claims that Saakashvili, during his presidency, bought jackets and coats with state funds, paid for his son’s studies, underwent cosmetic procedures, rented expensive cars and planes, and purchased wristwatches. In total, he allegedly squandered $2.7 million.

On Wednesday, he arrived at court for the second time wearing a T-shirt in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Saakashvili's mother, Giyuli Alasania, also came to support her son during the meeting and was allowed to attend the trial.

“I have no confidence in this lawsuit. I come here all the time just to see my son, and otherwise I have no illusion that anything will change. As for today or tomorrow, or any other process, for me this is one big injustice, ”she told reporters.

During the meeting, Saakashvili called all the accusations against him groundless and accused the prosecutors of corruption. After that, the lawyers handed him the Ukrainian flag and turned on the anthem of this country on the phone.

The politician began to sing along from behind bars. He also unfurled the flag, but for some reason kept it upside down.

“Where Saakashvili is, there is a circus,” Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said in October 2021.

Since leaving the presidency of Georgia, Saakashvili has held a number of government positions in Ukraine. He also received the citizenship of this country.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky noted earlier that the authorities of the country and he personally would deal with the return of Saakashvili.

However, the Georgian authorities refused to release their ex-president. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that the politician will remain in prison for a long time, he will serve the entire term.

Collection of criminal cases

Saakashvili secretly arrived in Georgia on September 29, 2021. Later, on October 1, he was detained in Tbilisi and placed in a prison in the city of Rustavi. There the politician went on a hunger strike. First, he was transferred to the prison hospital, then sent to the military hospital in the city of Gori, where on November 20 he stopped it.

At home, he is a defendant in several criminal cases at once. The ex-leader of the country has already been convicted in absentia in the cases of the murder of banker Sandro Girgvliani and the beating of deputy Valery Gelashvili. In the first case, Saakashvili was sentenced to three years in prison, in the second - to six.

The politician also appears in the cases of the dispersal of an opposition rally on November 7, 2007, the pogrom of the Imedi television company and the embezzlement of funds from the state budget - they are still being considered by the courts.

Now the court is considering a case in which Sakashvili is accused of embezzling $ 2.7 million of state funds for personal needs, including expensive jackets. Therefore, the current investigation is known to the public as the “jacket case”.

The other day, the ex-president of Georgia appeared before the court on the case of illegal border crossing. In the courtroom, the politician also appeared in a T-shirt with an inscription on the back in support of Ukraine.

He devoted part of his speech to "Ukrainian friends." He also expects that they will turn to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine because of the "inhuman treatment" towards him in prison.

bbabo.Net