Persecution of Georgian Ex-Defense Minister Irakly Okruashvili has been stopped. He was accused of forming illegal armed groups, ITAR-TASS reports.
The Georgian Interior Ministry announce arrest of 8 members of an organized criminal group on June 23. The group was to assist Okruashvili in returning to Georgia in late May. The former minister was to enter the country through the Tskhinvali Region assisted by 200 Russian SpecOps troops.
Okruashvili was the Defense Minister in December 2004 October 2006. He was arrested in Tbilisi on September 27, accused of exaggeration of power, money-washing and blackmailing. He was released on bail on October 9, 2007. He was permitted to fly to Munich. The court of Tbilisi sentenced Okruashvili to 11 years of prison on March 29, 2008. France provided a political asylum for the ex-minister in April 2008. He became a founder of the Georgian Party in October 2010. The party calls accusations of Okruashvili absurd.
