Accused of Misspending, Saakashvili Faces New Charges

Civil Georgia

Georgian Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday it will file new criminal charges against former President Mikheil Saakashvili, accusing him of misspending GEL 8.83 million (about USD 5.1 million) of public funds between September, 2009 and February, 2013.

New charges against Saakashvili, who is already charged with exceeding of official authorities in two separate cases, stem from allegations that he used funds allocated from the state budget to the Special State Protection Service (SSPS), the agency in charge of providing security to high-ranking officials, for his and his close allies, friends and family members’ personal purposes.

These allegations first emerged in April, 2013 when previously classified cache of dozens of documents, including spending records from SSPS, payment receipts and invoices from hotels and other service providers, weremade public after their declassification.

Declassified President-Related Spending Records Released

Prosecutor’s Office said on August 13 that investigation is carried out under article 182 of criminal code, involving misspending/embezzlement of large amount of funds and carrying imprisonment from 7 to 11 years as punishment.

Former head of SSPS, Temur Janashia, will also face criminal charges in the same case, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

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