Georgia comments on possibility of Saakashvili’s release

The Georgian justice ministry sees no possibility of deferring the sentence of former President Mikhail Saakashvili or releasing him from custody at this point, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze said.

"At this point, it is not within our sphere of competence to release this man from custody or to defer his sentence," Rati Bregadze said.

The minister confirmed that the Georgian judicial authorities rule out any form of alternative sentence for Sakashvili, including by allowing him to serve it in Ukraine under Kiev’s guarantees.