Saakashvili’s goal to lose weight – ruling party head

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili’s goal was to “lose weight” in a bid to facilitate his “illegal release” from prison on health grounds. 

 

“That is why his family members are providing him with low-calorie food. This is a disaster. I call on Saakashvili’s family to feed him with proper food and not encourage his self-harm”, Kobakhidze said and added “self-harm can never be the basis for the release of a prisoner”. 

 

Saakashvili, who currently holds Ukrainian citizenship, was arrested in Tbilisi on his clandestine return in October 2021, ahead of domestic municipal elections, and is now serving his six-year-sentence for abuse of power while in office. 

 

Both Tbilisi City Court and the Court of Appeals have earlier this year denied Saakashvili’s transfer abroad on health grounds, amid the claims of his family and the legal team on “utterly deteriorated condition”.