15:09 08.01.2018

Decision of Georgian court gives no grounds for Ukraine to extradite Saakashvili

2 min read
Decision of Georgian court gives no grounds for Ukraine to extradite Saakashvili

The decision of Tbilisi City Court about finding leader of the Movement of New Forces party Mikheil Saakashvili guilty in the case on "malicious abuse of power" as Georgian president at present does not give legal grounds for Ukraine to extradite him, defending lawyer of Saakashvili Ruslan Chornolutsky has said.

"We believe that all the cases that are opened in Georgia against Saakashvili are charges over political reasons, but I want to emphasize that even if the authorities of Ukraine somehow wants to use this case to press on Saakashvili, then any actions for extradition or expulsion of him from Ukraine, even on the basis of the so-called decision of the Georgian court, will be illegal," he said on NewsOne TV Channel on Friday, January 5.

Chornolutsky said that Saakashvili today has "enough legal status that forbids Ukraine to extradite or expel him."

The lawyer said that the ex-president of Georgia has been living in Ukraine for several years, and is now in the status of a person who is suing the State Migration Service for refusing to grant him the status of a protected person after the deprivation of Ukrainian citizenship, and in accordance with criminal procedural legislation this does not allow Ukraine to extradite him.

Chornolutsky said that Saakashvili has an official certificate from the State Migration Service that he is allowed to stay in Ukraine until at least March 1, 2018, and in the future this term should be extended while the trials with the migration service are going on.

He also said that the defense of Saakashvili in Georgia has the opportunity to continue defending his interests and after the decision of the Tbilisi City Court, in particular, to file an appeal.

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