Saakashvili appeals against Tbilisi City Court's verdict

Mikhail Saakashvili, a former Georgian President, who was convicted of exceeding his powers at pardoning, has fallen victim to political persecution, said his advocate.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 5, the Tbilisi City Court found Mikhail Saakashvili guilty of abusing his powers when pardoning the persons convicted under the murder case of businessman Sandro Girgvliani, and sentenced him to three years in prison.

Mr Saakashvili's defence filed an appeal against the verdict, demanding to fully acquit him, Sofo Gogichidze, his advocate, said on February 2.

The verdict to Saakashvili is an act of political persecution, since the president is entitled to pardon in accordance with the Constitution of Georgia, the "Georgia-Online" is citing the advocate's position.

In his comment on the verdict, Mikhail Saakashvili himself has earlier treated the verdict as "contradicting the international norms and the common sense." He has stressed that "for five years, Georgian authorities failed to find anything essential against him: neither corruption facts, nor any other offences."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.