Are Poroshenko and Ivanishvili planning to extradite Saakashvili to Georgia?

Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko has been actively negotiating with Georgian ex-Premier Bidzina Ivanishvili regarding the possible extradition of Mikheil Saakashvili to Georgia – ex-Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Georgia, David Sakvarelidze, reported.

According to Sakvarelidze, oppositionist Saakashvili is an ‘inconvenient’ rival to Petro Poroshenko, therefore he will try to get rid of him.

On 17 February 2015, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia appealed to the Ukrainian side, requesting extradition of the Georgian ex-President, Mikheil Saakashvili.

On 1 April of the same year, the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office addressed a letter to the Georgian side, rejecting the extradition request allegedly due to suspicion that Saakashvili would be persecuted on political grounds in Georgia.

At the time, Saakashvili had already been appointed as President Poroshenko’s adviser and the head of the reforms council. A few months later, he was appointed as the Governor of Odessa. He resigned from the post on 7 November 2016 and moved into opposition.

In October 2015, the Georgian Justice Ministry launched the procedure of Saakashvili’s denaturalization.

David Sakvarelidze, who currently serves as the Georgian ex-president’s advisor in Kyiv, told the Ukrainian ZIK TV that Bidzina Ivanishvili was the key negotiator from the Georgian side. In Sakvarelidze’s words, he maintains contact with the Ukrainian leader, Petro Poroshenko.

Bidzina Ivanishvili was the country’s Prime Minister in 2012-2013. Although he no longer holds any official post, he still has great influence in the Georgian government and the ruling party.

All the aforesaid is linked to Saakashvili’s political activity. The Ukrainian authorities are seeking, by any means necessary, to clear the Ukrainian opposition field from Saakashvili.

The aforesaid reports haven’t officially been confirmed by either Tbilisi or Kyiv.

If extradited to Georgia, ex-President Saakashvili will be facing criminal charges. Several criminal cases have already been instituted against him. In particular, he has been accused of abuse of official powers, embezzlement of budgetary funds, cracking down on the opposition’s organized protest rally in November 2007 and an assault on the Imedi TV building. Saakashvili is also suspected of being involved in a case of physical abuse of the MP Valeri Gelashvili as well as Sandro Gvirgvliani’s murder case. On 2 August 2014, Saakashvili was sentenced in absentia to a 2-month pre-trial detention.

Meanwhile, Saakashvili himself regards the criminal proceedings bought against him as political revenge.