The City Court in Tbilisi sentenced Georgia’s ex-minister of defense Irakly Okruashvili, on the photo, to imprisonment of 11 years.
Photo: Valery Melnikov
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Okruashvili Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
The City Court in Tbilisi sentenced Georgia’s ex-minister of defense Irakly Okruashvili to imprisonment of 11 years, News Georgia reported. The former minister didn’t attend the trial and was condemned in absentee.
Okruashvili was condemned for large-scale bribery effected by the organized group for the purpose of extortion. The former minister is in France now, waiting for the resolution on his extradition to Georgia by demand of that country’s prosecutors. The defense seeks political asylum for him.
In late September, Okruashvili declared the creation of opposition party named For United Georgia and addressed the nation via TV air, blaming corrupt practices on authorities in general and President Mikhail Saakashvili in particular.
He was arrested in two days, exactly on corruption charges. During the interrogation, the former minister renounced his own words and admitted the guilt for a portion of crimes. He was released on bail of $6.5 million.
He left Georgia in late November. In Germany, Okruashvili made a statement, claiming he had been pressurized to call back his accusations against the country’s leadership.
Georgia added Okruashvili to the wanted list November 15, he was detained by German detectives under the Interpol warrant and handed over to France, which once granted the Schengen visa to ex-minister.
www.kommersant.com
|
|
|
