Ex.Pres. Saakashvili’s mother claims deal with US law firm “ended”

Giuli Alasania, mother of the currently imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili, on Wednesday claimed the cooperation with the US-based law firm Akerman, reportedly hired to lobby for the release of the former official, had been completed. 

 

Alasania’s press comments came following the latest disclosure of the firm with the US Justice Department, as part of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which said the company’s activities  including writing and delivering resolutions to the European Parliament, preparing articles about Saakashvili, communicating with MEPs and other efforts related to the former official. 

 

Alasania claimed it was a “law firm, not a lobbyist group”, and thanked them firm for “good work”, adding she had no information about the disclosure of files. 

 

Mikheil Sarjveladze, the ruling Georgian Dream party MP, on Wednesday said it was the “most impressive part of the harmful activities” that he said  Saakashvili’s entourage and “he personally” had done to “harm the country’s image”. 

 

A disclosure of the firm in February revealed it had received $917,177 from the family of Saakashvili to lobby for his release from prison, with the country’s officials saying the funds had been used to spread “fake information” on the former official’s health and harm the country’s image. 

 

Saakashvili, who currently holds Ukrainian citizenship, was arrested in Tbilisi in October 2021 after eight years abroad, and is now serving his six-year-sentence for abuse of power while in office.