Charges dropped against Georgian ex-defense minister

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office said on Tuesday that it was dropping criminal charges against ex-defense minister Irakli Okruashvili, including the one for which he was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment in absentia in 2008.

Okruashvili, who left Georgia in late 2007 and who faced multiple criminal charges in Georgia, was arrested upon arrival at Tbilisi airport in November 2012.

Okruashvili, who was one of the most influential government members and President Saakashvili’s close ally before quitting the cabinet in November 2006, was arrested just two days after he levelled serious allegations against President Saakashvili and announced he was setting up an opposition party in late September, 2007.

Adapted from Vestnik Kavkaza