Ex-Georgian president avoids pre-trial detention

By Ali Cura

KIEV (AA) – A judge in Ukraine on Monday rejected a request by prosecutors to place former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili under house arrest during a pre-trial investigation.

The court will announce the reason for its decision on Dec. 14. The case against him is still open, however. Shortly after the hearing, Saakashvili met with his supporters waiting in front of the court building.

Saakashvili was brought to court Monday in Kiev, where he is being tried on at least three criminal counts.

He is under investigation for allegedly receiving funds from a fugitive businessman close to deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to launch a coup in Ukraine. Yanukovych has been living in exile in Russia since his ouster.

Saakashvili was arrested last Friday. He had escaped from custody earlier last week when crowds from a protest he was leading pulled him out of a police van. Police had arrested him on the roof of his apartment building during a raid.

Saakashvili’s Georgian citizenship was revoked in 2015 when he obtained a Ukrainian passport.