Former Georgian President Saakashvili’s Prison Sentence Extended

Saakashvili and his defense team have rejected the charges and sentences, handed down at Tbilisi City Court, as politically motivated and illegal.

Georgia's former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was detained after returning to the country, is escorted by police officers as he arrives at a prison in Rustavi, Georgia, on Oct. 1, 2021. Georgian Interior Ministry/Handout via Reuters

A court in Georgia handed another prison sentence to former President Mikheil Saakashvili on March 17, extending his stint behind bars to 12 1/2 years.

Saakashvili, who served as the nation’s president from 2004 to 2013, had previously been sentenced on charges of abuse of power and embezzlement.