Saakashvili won’t attend trial hearing on border crossing case

Former president Mikheil Saakashvili will not attend today’s trial hearing in Tbilisi City Court which concerns illegal crossing of the border by him from Ukraine to Georgia at the end of September 2021. His lawyers say that the former president does not feel good, and that this is the reason he will be absent. 

 

Saakashvili, who is a citizen of Ukraine and is holding an official post there, was arrested in Tbilisi on October 1, after eight years in political exile. He claims he returned to remove the Georgian Dream from power. 

 

Saakashvili called off his 50-day hunger strike after he was transferred to Gori military hospital on November 19. 

 

He is now serving a sentence for abuse of power and also faces five other charges.