Mikhail Saakashvili emphasized in his speech that the charges against him are actually not related to his actions to overthrow the government, but to "offending the shark from Bidzina Ivanishvili's home aquarium," who is the founder of the ruling party "Georgian Dream."
The court session began with a conflict between the former president and Judge Bugianishvili. When the judge suggested that Saakashvili take a seat in the defendant's dock, he replied that he was not a schoolboy and preferred to stand, as he considered it the right thing to do. Saakashvili also complained about mistreatment by the bailiffs and called the judge "an unscrupulous person," which led to a threat from Bugianishvili to expel him from the courtroom.
In 2022, the main prosecutor's office of Georgia initiated a sixth criminal case against Saakashvili under Article 317 of the Criminal Code, concerning calls for the violent overthrow of the government. Prosecutors presented screenshots of his social media posts to the court. This article implies a punishment of imprisonment for up to three years.
Mikhail Saakashvili, who served as the president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, was arrested on September 29, 2021, after secretly returning from Ukraine on a ferry, hiding in a container with dairy products. At the time of his arrest, he already had a conviction in absentia from the Tbilisi court for three and six years of imprisonment.
On March 17, 2025, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced him on all charges brought against him, including embezzlement and abuse of office, as well as illegal border crossing, imposing a punishment of 12.5 years in prison. Thus, Mikhail Saakashvili will be able to be released only in April 2034.
