Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced on Wednesday to nine more years in prison after being found guilty of embezzlement, the Interpress news agency reported.
Saakashvili, who was president from 2004 to 2013, was jailed for six years for abuse of power after he returned to Georgia in 2021 after a spell abroad. He has spent much of that sentence in a prison hospital.
Georgian television showed scenes of commotion in the courtroom after the verdict was announced, with Saakashvili supporters calling the judge a "slave" of the present government.
A deeply polarising figure in Georgia today, Saakashvili rose to power on a tide of popular acclaim in the 2003 Rose Revolution.
In power, he reorientated Georgia towards the West and embarked on an ambitious public sector reform program that delivered rapid improvements in the South Caucasus country of 3.7 million.
However, the latter part of his tenure was marked by authoritarianism, police brutality, and a disastrous 2008 war with Russia.
In 2012, his United National Movement party lost an election to a coalition headed by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire businessman who remains Georgia's de facto leader to this day.
After leaving office, Saakashvili moved to Ukraine, where he briefly served as governor of the southern Odesa region.
In 2021, he returned to Georgia, despite having been convicted in absentia of abuse of power. He was arrested and jailed on arrival.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has announced reshuffles in Georgia’s economic leadership, unveiling new appointments.
Senior officials from the United States and Georgia met in Tbilisi to review bilateral relations and regional security amid ongoing diplomatic discussions.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is in Hungary for high-level meetings focused on expanding bilateral engagement. The visit includes talks with Hungarian leaders and is expected to pave the way for new agreements across several key sectors.
Georgia has launched its first modern dry port near Tbilisi, aiming to become a vital logistics and trade hub linking the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, one of the most trusted branches of American defense analysis, has released its annual global threat assessment — and Georgia is firmly on its radar.
The European Commission has proposed a new EU Space Act to create a unified and competitive single market for space services and data, in a move to strengthen Europe’s position in the rapidly growing global space sector.
The World Bank has approved over $1 billion in new funding to support rebuilding efforts and infrastructure development in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
U.S. chipmaker Nvidia has reclaimed its title as the world’s most valuable company after its shares surged to a record high.
A Japanese space company has blamed a malfunctioning laser range finder for the crash of its moon lander earlier this month, marking the second failed lunar landing attempt for ispace in just over two years.
U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial be cancelled, calling the case a “witch hunt” and suggesting Netanyahu should be pardoned.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, and its European services to Amman, Jordan, effective immediately until 15 September due to escalating situation in the Middle East. Also, the air carrier temporarily suspended its flights between Astana, Kazakhstan, and Abu Dhabi.
China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
Kazakhstan's e-commerce sector has soared to 3.2 trillion tenge (around 6.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, marking a sevenfold increase since 2020, according to Deputy Prime Minister Serik Jumanğarin.
Russia has expressed its readiness to support the signing of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia to ensure regional stability and security.
Masked law enforcement officers have detained Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the 'Sacred Struggle' movement in Armenia. He is accused of preparing terrorist attacks and an alleged attempt to seize power, according to the Investigative Committee.
Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has announced a major reform initiative aimed at strengthening national sovereignty in the country’s space sector.
An explosive device detonated on an armoured combat-engineering vehicle in Khan Younis in Gaza, killing seven Israeli soldiers and seriously wounding another soldier on Tuesday (24 June).
The European Commission has proposed a new EU Space Act to create a unified and competitive single market for space services and data, in a move to strengthen Europe’s position in the rapidly growing global space sector.
The World Bank has approved over $1 billion in new funding to support rebuilding efforts and infrastructure development in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
U.S. chipmaker Nvidia has reclaimed its title as the world’s most valuable company after its shares surged to a record high.
A Japanese space company has blamed a malfunctioning laser range finder for the crash of its moon lander earlier this month, marking the second failed lunar landing attempt for ispace in just over two years.
U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial be cancelled, calling the case a “witch hunt” and suggesting Netanyahu should be pardoned.
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