Lawyers for leader of the Movement of New Forces party and former Odesa governor Mikheil Saakashvili have filed an appeal against a ruling by the Mostyska District Court in Lviv region, which penalized him for illegally crossing Ukraine’s border.
“We have filed an appeal today. In line with the procedure, it had to be lodged with the Appeals Court of Lviv region through the Mostyska District Court,” Saakashvili’s lawyer Markiyan Halabala told Interfax-Ukraine on Sept.29.
The Mostyska District Court had ruled on Sept. 22 to fine Saakashvili Hr 3 400.
It had been reported earlier that Saakashvili had returned to Ukraine on Sept. 10 for the first time after President Petro Poroshenko had signed a decree depriving him of Ukrainian citizenship. Saakashvili’s supporters who gathered near the Shehyni checkpoint broke the border from the Ukrainian side, causing injuries to 11 members of the Ukrainian National Guard and five Border Guard servicemen.
On Sept.12, Saakashvili signed a report drawn up by Ukrainian State Border Service officials, which said that he had illegally crossed the border through the Shehyni checkpoint on Sept.10. Before signing the document, Saakashvili and his lawyers added their objections and comments to it.
