Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili received an additional four-and-a-half-year prison sentence on Monday after being convicted of illegally crossing the state border, as reported by the Georgian news agency Interpress.
The court ruling indicates that Saakashvili, who has been incarcerated since 2021 on charges he claims are politically motivated, will remain in prison until 2034, as the sentences will be served concurrently.
Saakashvili, who held the presidency from 2004 to 2013, was found guilty last week of embezzling 9 million Georgian lari (approximately $3.3 million) through fraudulent expense claims for what prosecutors described as “luxury” expenditures.
He is already serving a six-year sentence for abuse of power and has spent a significant portion of his time in a prison hospital.
Additionally, he is facing trial for his actions during a crackdown on protesters in 2007.
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After his presidency, Saakashvili relocated to Ukraine, where he briefly held the position of governor of the Odesa region.
He returned to Georgia in 2021, despite having been convicted in absentia for abuse of power, and was immediately imprisoned upon his arrival.
