World
11:42, 29-Jun-2018
Ex-Georgia leader Saakashvili sentenced to six years in absentia for abuse of power
Updated
11:25, 02-Jul-2018
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Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced in absentia on Thursday to six years in prison for abuse of power during his time in office.
Georgian authorities have said they will now seek the extradition of the 50-year-old, who was president of the Caucasus republic from 2004 to 2013.
A court in the Georgian capital Tbilisi found Saakashvili guilty of abusing his presidential powers by trying to conceal evidence about the 2005 beating of opposition member of parliament Valery Gelashvili.
He has denied all charges against him.
"It's very important to say that the court categorically rules out any political motivation behind the verdict," Judge Shorena Guntsadze said in court.
Saakashvili's supporters however called the verdict illegal.
"The court and prosecutor's office have lost the trust of the people and have no right to take such decisions," said Nika Melia, a member of Saakashvili's United National Movement.
Saakashvili left Georgia after his second presidential term expired and moved to the Netherlands after being expelled from Ukraine in February.
In January, he was sentenced separately to three years in prison after being convicted of seeking to cover up evidence about the murder of a Georgian banker.
Source(s): Reuters