Prosecutor on ex-President Saakashvili case: ₾9 million spent on “personal, entourage” luxury, not state interests

Tbilisi City Court on Wednesday sentenced the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to nine years in prison on charges of embezzling state funds. The case, which has been under investigation for years, involves the misuse of ₾9 million [$3.2 million].

Prosecutor Giorgi Mujiri said that the funds in question were not used for the benefit of the state but were instead spent on luxury expenses for Saakashvili and his entourage.

“The court found it proven, based on the evidence presented by the prosecution, that the defendant Mikheil Saakashvili embezzled state funds, which were not used for the benefit of the state interests”, the prosecutor noted.

“The ₾9 million included numerous expenses related to personal and entourage luxuries, including travel expenses, gifts such as a mobile phone, payments for luxury resorts abroad, and other similar expenses. These costs were clearly for luxury purposes and in no way driven by state interests”, the prosecutor concluded.