A Georgian court has sentenced former president Mikheil Saakashvili to an additional nine years for embezzlement, extending his current six-year term. Saakashvili is accused of misusing state funds for luxury expenses. Opposition leaders argue that this reflects the ruling party's fear of Saakashvili as a political rival and an assault on democracy. Following the verdict, supporters protested in court, expressing their belief that the case is politically motivated. Saakashvili contends the verdict aims to suppress his ability to challenge the government politically.
The regime is very afraid of Mikheil Saakashvili, as the main opposition figure. It does everything to ensure that Mikheil Saakashvili remains behind bars, said Petre Tsiskarishvili.
[Saakashvili] accused the authorities of engineering the verdict to keep him from mounting a political challenge. It was clear from the very beginning that the case was purely political.
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