Tbilisi sees no chance to get Saakashvili extradited from Ukraine
TBILISI. May 31 (Interfax) - The legal chance to get ex-Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili extradited to his home country was lost after Saakashvili, wanted in Georgia, was granted Ukrainian citizenship, said Georgian Justice Minister Teya Tsulukiani.
"We have learned from the media that Mikheil Saakashvili, who once told us that nothing was more important for him than Georgia and Georgian citizenship, has given up Georgian citizenship," she told journalists on Sunday.
Tsulukiani added that Saakashvili remained a Georgian citizen pending the required formalities. But in actual fact he is a citizen of a foreign country, she said.
The justice minister pointed out that, "foreign citizen Saakashvili has lost the right to participate in political processes in Georgia." "From the point of view of criminal law, we must understand that Ukrainian laws ban their citizens' extradition to a foreign country. Now that he has become a Ukrainian citizen the legal chance to get him extradited from Ukraine has been exhausted," she said.
Tsulukiani also commented on the activities of Saakashvili's associates in Ukraine, as well as Saakashvili's appointment as governor of the Odesa region. "I returned from Kyiv 24 hours ago. I could see that the Saakashvili team had not demonstrated any results there. Reforms remain suspended, and the Ukrainian people and media are asking: When will reforms begin? Serious questions have arisen for these so-called experts," the justice minister said.
Concerning Saakashvili's appointment as governor of the Odesa region, Tsulukiani said, "it only indicates that he is being moved away from Kyiv, from reforms, as he cannot implement them."
"I suspect he will fail to do anything good in Odesa," she said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko granted Ukrainian citizenship to his advisor Saakashvili and appointed him governor of the Odesa regional state administration.
Saakashvili is wanted in Georgia on suspicion of involvement in several crimes, including abuse of office. He has also been placed on an international wanted list. Although Georgia has turned to Interpol on many occasions, Interpol has not placed him on its wanted list.
The Tbilisi City Court on August 2 1014 ordered Saakashvili's pre-trial arrest.