Ex-Pres Saakashvili calls his nine-year sentence ‘execution of Russia’s will’

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has condemned his nine-year prison sentence as a politically motivated attack, claiming it was a punishment for his “dedication to Georgia” and served as the “execution of Russia’s will”, in a letter read to journalists by Tina Bokuchava, the chairwoman of the United National Movement.

“The will of the invader was directly executed. This is their answer to the fact that I did not surrender Georgia. For the first time in centuries, we dared to form a successful, independent Georgian state. After finding no fault in me, they have sentenced me to what is effectively life imprisonment over presidential office expenses. This is how Ivanishvili’s [ruling Georgian Dream founder and its honorary chair] mafia clan punishes dedication and love for the country”, Saakashvili said.

Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013, was found guilty on Wednesday of embezzling large amounts of state funds in what has become known as the Jacket Case. The verdict, announced by Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili, has sparked strong reactions from both Saakashvili and his supporters, who claim the ruling was politically motivated.

The case has also drawn attention to Teimuraz Janashia, the former head of the State Security Service, who was found guilty in the same trial and ordered to pay a fine of 300,000 GEL (approximately $110,000).

The ruling has deepened political tensions in Georgia. Opposition figures, including Roman Gotsiridze, criticized the verdict, calling it an act of selective justice. Gotsiridze argued that Ivanishvili himself should be held accountable under the same legal standards.

“Bidzina Ivanishvili incurred the same expenses when he was Prime Minister. He and this poor judge will one day be tried under the same article. Saakashvili served as president for nine years, and the disputed funds amount to roughly one million per year – mostly administrative costs. The system he built continues to function today, ensuring money flows into the state budget”, he said.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary majority leader, Mamuka Mdinaradze, defended the court’s ruling, dismissing claims of political persecution. He said that the charges against Saakashvili, initially categorized as elite corruption in 2014, were re-examined in 2025 under new legal scrutiny.

“A crime that was elite corruption in 2014 has now become the Jacket Case in 2025. In fact, this is another assignment of the ‘Deep State’ to support an agent”, Mdinaradze said in his social media post.

This is not the first time Saakashvili has faced legal trouble in Georgia. The former president, who played a key role in the 2003 Rose Revolution and introduced sweeping reforms during his tenure, has been convicted in absentia in previous cases. He was arrested upon his return to Georgia in 2021 and has since been at the center of multiple legal battles.