Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Friday that he had returned to his homeland, where he has been seriously charged. It happened the day before the country’s municipal elections, in which fierce fighting is expected between the ruling party “Dream of Georgia” and opposition forces. The Georgian authorities deny that Saakashvili has crossed the state border.
Mikheil Saakashvili posted a video on Facebook claiming to be in Batumi, Georgia.
The politician called on the people of the country to take part in the local elections taking place on Saturday and to vote for the party “United National Movement”, which he had once formed. Saakashvili also urged his supporters to take to the streets after the election to “defend victory.”
Saakashvili’s return to Georgia was also confirmed by the United National Movement.
Georgia’s ruling party, Saakashvili, called the video message a forgery. Mamuka Mdinaradze, a member of the ruling party, said that Saakashvili had filmed his video instead of Batumi, but in the Ukrainian resort town of Truskavets.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry denies that Saakashvili has officially entered the country. The Ministry also stated that in that case, the ex-president would be arrestedbecause he has been charged with criminal offenses.
Saakashvili left Georgia after the end of his presidency in 2013 and has since mostly stayed in Ukraine, where he even held the position of governor of the Odessa region for a short time.
Saakashvili did not return to his homeland because there were several trials against him. In 2018, a court sentenced him to three years in prison for concealing evidence in connection with the murder of an influential banker.
In another lawsuit, Saakashvili was sentenced to six years in prison for abuse of power while he was president.
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