The Georgian side is ready to request the United States to extradite wanted ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is staying in the country, Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani said.
The minister said that Georgia will demand Saakashvili’s extradition from any country he decides to stay in, Georgia’s First Channel reported on July 31.
“If it is Ukraine, where he, as he said it himself, will return to, then we have concluded all procedures and all evidence, which we had had as early as 2014-2015, were handed over to the Ukrainian side already. So, if the political will to cooperate with Georgia emerges in Ukraine, they can decide on his extradition,” the TV channel cited the minister as saying.
“As for other countries, for instance, the U.S., then if the former president decides to stay there, we will need legal consultations with those countries, including negotiations and the extradition agreements,” Tsulukiani said.
On July 26, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issued a decree depriving Saakashvili of Ukrainian citizenship. The Ukrainian presidential administration explained that Saakashvili’s citizenship was revoked due to his providing false information while applying for Ukrainian citizenship. On July 29, Saakashvili said he intends to appeal with an administrative court against the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship, and then with the European Court of Human Rights.
