Former Georgian president reveals key reasons behind decision not to pardon Saakashvili

Former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has explained why she did not grant a pardon to former Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili, emphasizing the legal and political complexities surrounding the case, Caliber.Az reports referring to foreign media sources.

Speaking at a conference in the United States organized by the American Enterprise Institute, Zourabichvili said, “As for Saakashvili, I think everyone knows my position, which I have expressed many times.”

She elaborated, noting that there was no legal avenue to issue a pardon without the Georgian Dream party first passing a new sentence. “Plus, the fact that there was no legal possibility to pardon without Georgian Dream issuing a new sentence before his release,” Zourabichvili stated.

Zourabichvili also highlighted the precarious nature of Saakashvili’s situation. “It takes 48 hours for someone to be released from prison, but in Saakashvili’s case, there was the threat of three new sentences,” she explained, adding, “He will only get out of prison when the Georgian Dream is out of power. This is the reality.”

Saakashvili, who became a Ukrainian citizen after leaving Georgia in 2013, faces multiple criminal cases from his time in office, including charges related to the violent dispersal of an opposition rally in 2007, the destruction of Imedi TV’s office, and the embezzlement of over $3.3 million in state funds. In absentia, he was sentenced to three prison terms, and additional charges are pending.

In October 2021, Saakashvili secretly returned to Georgia, was detained, and later charged with illegal border crossing. Due to his deteriorating health, he was transferred to the private Vivamed clinic in Tbilisi in May 2022, where he remains today.

By Tamilla Hasanova