Saakashvili to return to power in Georgia - former Justice Minister Adeishvili
TBILISI. June 10 (Interfax) - Former Georgian Justice Minister Zurab Adeishvili, whom his home country has declared wanted on abuse of office charges and who is now staying in Ukraine, believes the United National Movement party led by former President Mikheil Saakashvili will win parliamentary elections and regain power in 2016.
"I am sure the United National Movement led by Mikheil Saakashvili will certainly come back to power. This new team will lack a lot of prominent persons, and it is for sure that I won't be part of this team," Adeishvili said in an interview recorded by the Rustavi-2 TV company in Ukraine.
He insisted that the tone of political discussions currently being held in Georgia should be adjusted.
"It is necessary to introduce coalition rule and the adoption of decisions through a consensus. We need to switch to political activities existing in East and West Europe," he said.
The former ruling party was the first in Georgia's modern history to have ceded power peacefully, through elections, and when it regains power through new elections, it is ready to set a new political precedent by not persecuting the losers based on political motives, Adeishvili said.
Adeishvili said that, while he has been declared wanted in Georgia, he is freely moving around Europe, since his prosecution in his home country is clearly politically motivated.
"Our group of reformers is currently rendering assistance to Ukraine in combating corruption and organized crime, but our representatives are also working on various reform aspects in Africa, Central Asia, and even Mongolia," Adeishvili said.
Former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said earlier in an interview with journalists that Adeishvili was "the only intelligent person" in Saakashvili's team.
Georgia asked Interpol to issue a Red Notice for Adeishvili on January 10, 2013, which Interpol did in November 2013.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office reported later that Interpol withdrew its Red Notice for Adeishvili on April 9, 2015, as he was granted political refugee status "in one of the countries."
Adeishvili was considered by some a grey cardinal in former President Mikheil Saakashvili's government. Georgian prosecution agencies have charged him with several crimes, including the organization of and involvement in torture.
After the Georgian Dream political association came to power in Georgia in October 2012, Adeishvili first reportedly stayed in Hungary and then moved to Ukraine, where he has been included as an expert in a team working on anti-corruption legislation.
Georgia had earlier demanded that Ukraine extradite Adeishvili and Saakashvili to be prosecuted in their home country.