Ex-Pres Saakashvili claims associate passed his information to Georgian authorities ‘on Russia’s orders’

Convicted former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has alleged that a person from his circle passed his personal information to Georgian security structures “on Russia’s orders” shortly after his return to Georgia in 2021.

Speaking remotely during a court hearing on Thursday, Saakashvili said an individual had repeatedly urged him to return to Georgia but later betrayed him.

“There was one person constantly telling me to come back,” Saakashvili said. “When I arrived, nobody met me, and exactly two hours later, on Russia’s orders, this person passed my data to the security structures of the time.”

The former president did not name the individual.

Saakashvili described the alleged actions as betrayal and said the important thing was not to accept “betrayal and obstacles”.

Addressing opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili during the hearing, Saakashvili said the authorities wanted “every patriot and fighting person” imprisoned.

Saakashvili, who returned secretly to Georgia from Ukraine in October 2021, was arrested shortly after his arrival and remains in custody while facing multiple criminal convictions and ongoing legal proceedings.