16:22 02.11.2017

Ukraine launches procedure for extradition to Georgia of former Georgian Interior Ministry official

3 min read
Ukraine launches procedure for extradition to Georgia of former Georgian Interior Ministry official

 A former high-ranking official of the Georgian Interior Ministry, who was placed on the international wanted list in 2012 at the request of Georgian law enforcers, was arrested by a Ukrainian court for 40 days and the procedure for his extradition to Georgia has begun.

"According to a ruling of the Halytsky District Court of Ivano-Frankivsk region, a citizen of Georgia was given a measure of restraint in the form of arrest for 40 days and the procedure for his extradition to his homeland was launched," the press center of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported on Thursday.

The special service said it had detained the foreigner when taking measures to expose and block the channels of illegal entry of representatives of international terrorist and extremist organizations into Ukraine.

"[SBU] seized from the detainee two forged passports of a citizen of Ukraine, one of a citizen of Latvia and one of a citizen of Belize, drawn up for different surnames but with his photograph, as well as a fake seaman's certificate, which he used to cross the state border of Ukraine and other states," the SBU said.

At the same time, the Ukrainian special service does not name the detained Georgian citizen, but says that he has been wanted since 2012 for committing violent crimes stipulated in Articles 24, 138 and 144 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

"According to Interpol, since 2002, the detainee, while holding senior positions in the Georgian Interior Ministry as part of an organized criminal group of the ministry's employees, has used torture, physical and sexual abuse of persons detained and convicted for committing crimes," the report says.

Earlier on November 2, the Georgian prosecutor's office reported that Georgia had launched the legal procedures for the extradition to Tbilisi of former chief of the military police of the Georgian Defense Ministry Megis Kardava, who was detained in Ukraine on November 1.

Kardava left Georgia in 2012 and was placed on Interpol's wanted list in 2013 on the basis of the materials of the Georgian Prosecutor's Office. In 2014, Kardava was sentenced in absentia to nine years in prison.

Kardava is accused on several counts, including the organization of prison rebellion, which led to the death of prisoners, torture of prisoners, secret surveillance of political opponents of the regime of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, and embezzlement of public funds.

While commenting on Kardava's detention in Ukraine, Saakashvili wrote on his Facebook page that he was not familiar with him and that he had never met him.

"Media sources are very imperfect. I have never met with this 'closest associate' and I know about his existence only from the press," Saakashvili wrote.

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