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Ukrainian authorities set to deport Saakashvili — Migration Service

Stateless Saakashvili managed to break into the territory of Ukraine from Poland with the assistance from his supporters on September 10

KIEV, October 24. /TASS/. Ukrainian authorities are set to deport the former Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili, who is also a former governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region, the State Migration Service said on Tuesday.

"The State Migration Service confirms that Saakashvili continues ignoring the problem of settling his legal status in Ukraine and this gives grounds for the relevant state agencies to launch the procedures related to his deportation from the country exclusive in the framework of effective legislation," the statement said.

"On September 11, 2017, an unidentified group of four persons [who did not present any identification documents] filed a query with the Main Department of the State Migration Service in Lvov asking it to provide reinforced protection to Mr. Saakashvili," it said. "Attached to the query was a copy of a Ukrainian passport.

"Within a 30-day period envisioned by legislation, the Main Department of the Service in Lvov rejected the query,since the document had been submitted in violation of Clause 1 of Article 1 of Ukraine’s law on refugees and individuals in need of supplementary or interim protection [an incorrect form of the statement] and Clause 1 of Article 7 of the same law [requiring that the applicant file the document personally or by proxy]," the statement said.

In plain language, this means that Saakashvili remains a stateless person following the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship earlier this year and the authorities. The press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office said in this connection there were no legal circumstances that might impede his deportation from Ukraine.

Stateless Saakashvili managed to break into the territory of Ukraine from Poland with the assistance from his supporters on September 10.

In the meantime, the Lvov region appeals court on Tuesday left unchanged the ruling of a court of lower jurisdiction to impose a fine on Saakashvili for illegal crossing of the state border.

"The court passed a decision to reject a complaint by Saakashvili’s lawyers and to leave the September 22 ruling of the Mostiska district court, which ruled to recognize Saakashvili’s guilt for an illegal crossing of the border on September 10, 2017," the judge said, adding that the decision was conclusive.

The district court charged Saakashvili with an illegal crossing of the border, hooliganism and threats to representatives of the forces of law and order and demanded that he pay a fine of around $ 127.8.