**Former Georgian President Sentenced to Additional 9 Years in Prison**
Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia, has been sentenced to an additional nine years in prison for embezzling state funds. A Tbilisi court found Saakashvili guilty of misappropriating $5.4 million from the state budget between 2009 and 2013.
**Charges and Convictions**
The judge convicted Saakashvili of using state money for personal expenses, including luxury hotels, cosmetic procedures, and designer clothing. Teimuraz Janashia, a former head of the Special Guard Service, was also fined $108,000 for abuse of office. Both men denied the charges, claiming they were politically motivated.
**Background**
Saakashvili served as president from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2013. He sought to take Georgia on a pro–Western path but lost elections to the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party in 2012. Saakashvili has been imprisoned since returning to Georgia in 2021.
**International Reactions**
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that there were no grounds to believe that Saakashvili’s trial was unfair. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern over Saakashvili’s deteriorating health while in prison. Saakashvili holds Ukrainian citizenship and has accused a Georgian politician of orchestrating his prosecution on Moscow’s orders.
**Current Situation**
The sentencing comes amid mass protests in Tbilisi over disputed election results. Western countries have imposed sanctions on Georgia for perceived democratic backsliding.