Ex-Georgian President Saakashvili, opposition leaders face court in Tbilisi

A preliminary hearing has opened at the Tbilisi City Court in the case against former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and seven other opposition figures, who are accused of committing crimes against the state.

According to Azerbaijani media, Saakashvili is taking part in the court proceedings. During the session, judges began reviewing the evidence submitted by prosecutors, after which a decision is expected on whether the case will be formally referred for full judicial consideration. Representatives of the US and German embassies in Georgia are also present at the hearing.

Addressing the court, Saakashvili categorically denied the charges of sabotage and an attempted coup d’état. He argued that the proceedings are politically motivated, saying he is not actually being tried for attempting to overthrow the government but rather, as he put it, “for insulting the shark from Bidzina Ivanishvili’s home aquarium,” referring to the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The hearing opened amid a tense exchange between Saakashvili and presiding Judge Bugianishvili. The judge instructed the former president to take his seat on the defendants’ bench, but Saakashvili refused, responding that he was “not a schoolboy” and would remain standing because he deemed it appropriate. He then complained about what he described as rude treatment by court bailiffs and called the judge a “dishonest person.” In response, Judge Bugianishvili warned that Saakashvili could be removed from the courtroom if his conduct continued.

The case stems from a criminal investigation launched last year by the Georgian Prosecutor General’s Office, which opened a sixth case against Saakashvili under Article 317 of the Georgian Criminal Code, covering “calls for the violent change and overthrow of the Georgian government.” Prosecutors presented screenshots and excerpts from Saakashvili’s social media posts as evidence. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to three years in prison.

Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013, was arrested on September 29, 2021, after secretly returning to the country from Ukraine. At that time, he had already been sentenced in absentia by a Tbilisi court to prison terms of three and six years in two separate cases.

On March 17, 2025, the Tbilisi City Court handed Saakashvili a combined sentence of 12.5 years in prison on charges including embezzlement, abuse of office, and illegal border crossing. Under that ruling, the former president would not be eligible for release until April 2034.

By Tamilla Hasanova