Georgian Court Sentences Former President to Three Years for Abuse of Power

A Georgian court sentenced former President Mikheil Saakashvili in absentia to three years in prison on January 5, after finding him guilty of abuses of power in connection with a 2006 murder.Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president from 2004 until 2013, was found to have abused his powers by trying to cover up evidence about the murder of Georgian banker Sandro Girgvliani, and of issuing pardons for four men who were convicted of the killing, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.Saakashvili, who now lives in Ukraine, rejected the finding, saying that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) helped to fabricate evidence against him. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful