Georgian opposition party offloads Tbilisi office following Saakashvili’s conviction

The opposition Unity-National Movement (UNM), the party founded by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, has sold its main office on Kakheti Highway in Tbilisi.

According to records from the Civil Registry Agency, cited by Georgian media, the sale of the property has been confirmed, per Caliber.Az.

The building, constructed during Saakashvili’s presidency, occupies 2,406 square meters on a 4,000-square-meter plot.

The new owner is Tamaz Tsipurashvili, who holds full ownership of “EV Distribution.” Notably, the company’s director is UNM member David Kirkitadze.

The sale of the party headquarters comes as Saakashvili faces further legal setbacks. On March 12, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to nine years in prison for embezzling state funds during his time in office.

This latest verdict adds to the six-year sentence he is already serving for separate cases, including the assault on MP Valerie Gelashvili and his controversial pardons related to the 2006 murder of Sandro Girgvliani.

The court ruled that Saakashvili had misused state funds for personal expenditures, including his son's education, luxury car rentals, private flights, and personal wardrobe purchases. Prosecutors estimated the misappropriated amount at 9 million lari (approximately $2.9 million), with the indictment dating back to 2014.

His legal team defended the expenses as hospitality costs, while Saakashvili himself rejected the accusations. "I am being tried as a thief and facing shameful charges for having undergone some medical procedures and wanting to represent my country at the highest level wherever I travelled and to meet well those who came here," he stated in court.

The nine-year sentence will be counted from his detention on October 1, 2021, making him eligible for release by October 1, 2030.

In addition to this conviction, Saakashvili remains on trial for his role in the violent crackdown on protesters on November 7, 2007, as well as for illegally crossing the Georgian border. Under Georgian law, multiple sentences are combined, with the most severe punishment prevailing.

Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili delivered the latest verdict. Saakashvili’s former security chief, Teimuraz Dzhanashia, was also convicted in the same case but received a much lighter penalty—a fine of 3,000 GEL (over $1,000).

By Tamilla Hasanova