Ex-Georgian president criticizes Georgian court's jail sentence on him

KIEV, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday criticized Georgia's court decision to sentence him in absentia to three years in prison for an alleged abuse of power.

"The 'verdict' of the Georgian court ... is completely illegal and contradicts all international and national norms," Saakashvili wrote on Facebook.

Earlier Friday, the Tbilisi city court found Saakashvili guilty of abusing power in 2009 during his second term as the president of Georgia.

Saakashvili allegedly abused the office by pardoning four policemen, who were charged with murder, the court said.

Saakashvili, 50, served two terms as Georgian president from 2004 to 2013, before moving to Ukraine in May 2015 when he acquired Ukrainian citizenship and was appointed governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region.

In September last year, the Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office asked Kiev to take measures for Saakashvili's extradition, but Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko said Ukraine was not considering such option.

Currently, Saakashvili serves as a leader of the Ukrainian oppositional political party "Movement of New Forces".

In Ukraine, he faces investigation on charges of "aiding members of criminal groups and covering up their criminal activity."

Last month, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it would not discuss a possible extradition with the Georgian side. Enditem