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Former Georgian president Saakashvili deported from Ukraine to Poland

Xinhua,February 13, 2018 Adjust font size:

KIEV, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been deported from Ukraine to Poland, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) of Ukraine said on Monday.

"In accordance with courts' decisions, this person resided in Ukraine illegally, and therefore, it was returned to the country from which he entered Ukraine with the observance of all legal formalities," the SBGS said in a statement.

Earlier on the day, Saakashvili's lawyer Ruslan Chornolutsky told Interfax-Ukraine news agency that the politician was detained by officers of the SBGS and taken away in an unknown direction.

Last week, Kiev Administrative Court of Appeals confirmed the decision of a lower court to reject a political asylum application from Saakashvili.

Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko said that the court's ruling removes legal obstacles to the extradition of the former Georgian leader from Ukraine.

The ruling came a month after a Tbilisi court found Saakashvili guilty of abusing power in 2009 during his second term as the president of Georgia and sentenced him in absentia to three years in prison.

Saakashvili, 50, served two terms as Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013. He acquired Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed governor of Odessa region.

In July last year, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko revoked Saakashvili's citizenship, following allegations that he had submitted false information while applying for his Ukrainian passport.

Two months later, Saakashvili walked into Ukraine from Poland without showing the necessary documents to the border guards. His supporters broke through the cordon of security forces and escorted him into Ukraine.

In Ukraine, Saakashvili has applied for political asylum, but the State Migration Service and later the Kiev District Administrative Court have rejected the request.

On Sept. 5, 2017, the Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office asked Kiev to take measures for Saakashvili's extradition. Enditem

 

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