Fleeing Georgia
January 10, 2008
Last year Irakli Okruashvili, 34, turned against his former ally Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, accusing the president of corruption. In spite of huge anti-government protests sparked by Okruashvili's claims, Saakashvili was re-elected on Saturday, Jan. 5th.
Now Okruashvili, who used to be Georgia's defense minister, has claimed he's paying the price for speaking out against the powerful president. Georgia has issued an international arrest warrant for Okruashvili last year, accusing him of corruption while in office. The ex-minister denies any wrongdoing.
Georgia issued arrest warrant
The former minister was detained in Georgia on Sept. 27 on charges of abusing his power while in office. After being released two weeks later, Okruashvili left Georgia for Germany. While the Georgian government says Okruashvili left the country for health reasons, he insists he was forced into exile.
Okruashvili told Reuters that after arresting him, the Georgian government forced him to leave the country on a plane destined for Paris, but that he got off when the plane made a stop in Munich.
Okruashvili was arrested in Germany on Nov. 27 after Georgia issued an international arrest warrant. Georgian authorities accused the former defense minister of purchasing jet fuel at inflated prices from a friend's company.
Okruashvili's lawyers in Germany have said the international arrest warrant issued by Georgia was "politically motivated."
Georgia remains off limits
Okruashvili, who was dismissed from his post in 2006, told a German magazine that being forced to return to Georgia would be "like a death sentence."
He also warned that Saakashvili "will use any legal or illegal means to remain in power."
"I'm hoping for political asylum," Okruashvili told the news magazine Der Spiegel. "Deportation - that would mean my death," he said.
France will decide asylum request
Okruashvili was placed in French custody on Wednesday. Okruashvili has the right to request political asylum, interior ministry spokesman Gerard Gachet told Reuters.
"He has the right to request asylum, and if this is his intention he will be given the paperwork to make this request, which will be examined as soon as possible," Gachet said.
German Interior Ministry spokesman Stefan Kaller said only France could make a decision on whether to deport Okruashvili since it had granted a visa to the ex-minister.