28 March 2008, 13:40
In Georgia, court sentences Irakliy Okruashvili to 11 years in prison
Judge of the Tbilisi City Court Georgiy Shavliashvili has sentenced in absentia Irakliy Okruashvili, former Minister of Defence of Georgia, to 11 years of imprisonment. Dmitri Kitoshvili, former press secretary of the President of Georgia and another figurant in the case, signed a cooperation agreement with the investigation and was sentenced to five years of conditional imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 laris.
Okruashvili and Kitoshvili were found guilty of extortion of a part of the stock in the GeoSell mobile telephone company. The "Interfax" reports that according to the investigation, they forced by threats businessman Dzhemal Svanidze to give up his stock share in the company.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 24 the State Prosecution demanded for the ex-Minister and leader of the Party "Movement for United Georgia" 13 years of deprivation of freedom, accusing him of bribery, extortion, money-laundering, negligence and abuse of service powers.
Within a month, the defence of the former minister is going to lodge a cassation to the Appeal Court against the decision of the City Court. Eka Beseliya, Irakliy Okruashvili's advocate, explained journalists that the decision of the court was "political".
Irakliy Okruashvili himself is of the same opinion. He asserts that the Georgian Prosecutor's Office is chasing him for his utterances against the policy of Mikhail Saakashvili.
Now, Okruashvili is in France waiting for a decision about his extradition to Georgia on demand of the Georgian Prosecutor's Office. The session will take place on April 16, the "Trend" reports.
