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France rejects Okruashviliâ€™s extradition to Georgia

11 September 2008 09:09 (UTC +04:00)

Paris-APA. French Appeals Court has rejected a request by Georgia to extradite Irakli Okruashvili, a former Defense Minister, APA reports. Lawyers of Okruashvili demanded the court to take into consideration of political asylum of Okruashvili and tense situation in Georgia. Lawyer, sounding a decision of the court noted that this action can be assessed as giving negative mark to the activity of Georgian court system.
Irakli Okruashvili was Georgian Economic Development Minister, Defense Minister and Prosecutor General.
Okruashvili accused his former ally, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, of setting up corrupt commercial deals to benefit his family, plotting to seize Georgia’s breakaway republic of South Ossetia by force, and ordering the assassination of Georgian billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili in 2006.
Georgian prosecutors subsequently arrested and charged Okruashvili with abuse of office, money laundering, and corruption. After being released, the opposition leader fled the country. He was consequently tried in absentia and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Okruashvili received political asylum from France and announced that he would not return to the country.