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Ukraine refuses to extradite Mikheil Saakashvili to Georgia

Georgia Materials 17 February 2015 19:30 (UTC +04:00)
Despite the request of the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office, Ukraine has “not cooperated” with Georgia and refuses to extradite ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili and ex-justice minister Zurab Adeishvili
Ukraine refuses to extradite Mikheil Saakashvili to Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia, Feb.17

By Nana Kirtzkhalia - Trend:

Despite the request of the Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office, Ukraine has "not cooperated" with Georgia and refuses to extradite ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili and ex-justice minister Zurab Adeishvili, the Office said February 17.

On February 13 Saakashvili, wanted by the Georgian authorities, was appointed by Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko as his adviser and head of International Advisory Council on Reforms. The Georgian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian ambassador in Tbilisi over Saakashvili's appointment.

Although ex-justice minister of Georgia Zurab Adeishvili, who is also wanted by Tbilisi, has no official post in the Ukrainian government, he is informally advising Ukrainian authorities, according to former Georgian officials now working in Ukraine.

"Extradition of wanted persons between Ukraine and Georgia is carried out according to the European Convention on Extradition of 1957, Minsk Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters of 1993, Bilateral Agreement signed between Georgia and Ukraine in 1995. Based on the aforementioned international treaties, parties undertake to review and extradite wanted persons to the other country in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement," the Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office said in the written statement on February 17.

"Therefore, since charges have been filed against Mikheil Saakashvili and Zurab Adeishvili, they are wanted in Georgia, and Adeishvili is further wanted under [Interpol's] Red Notice," the Georgian prosecutor's office said. "Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia has addressed the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine with petitions on the identification, detention and extradition of the aforementioned persons."

"Notwithstanding the above obligations between the two countries in the field of extradition, the Ukrainian side has not cooperated with the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia in the matter of the extradition of Mikheil Saakashvili and Zurab Adeishvili to Georgia, and has refused to extradite the abovementioned persons," it said.

Mikheil Saakashvili has not yet been declared wanted by Interpol. Authoritative US Congressmen John McCain and Michael Turner requested Interpol not to issue an international arrest warrant against Saakashvili.

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