TBILISI, March 12. /TASS/. The Tbilisi City Court has found former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili guilty of embezzling $3.2 million of public funds and sentenced him to nine years in prison, Georgian TV channel Mtavari Archi reported.

The verdict was read out by judge Badri Kochlamazashvili. According to the court's decision, Teimuraz Dzhanashia, Saakashvili's former head of security, was also found guilty, but he escaped with a fine of 3,000 laris (over $1,000).

Saakashvili was not present at the hearing and did not connect via video conferencing for health reasons. The verdict caused discontent among Saakashvili's supporters in the courtroom, and bailiffs had to usher them out.

Saakashvili was charged with misappropriating state funds in 2014. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, a significant part of this amount was spent in 2009-2012 on personal needs, including "to pay for the services of foreign chefs, masseuses, cosmetologists, designers," as well as to purchase luxury goods, rent yachts and airplanes during foreign trips, and to pay for the expenses of accompanying persons.

Saakashvili, who is now a Ukrainian citizen, left Georgia in 2013, after which four criminal cases were opened against him. In two of them, the politician was sentenced to three and six years in prison in absentia. The cases of the dispersal of an opposition rally on November 7, 2007, destruction of the office of the Georgian television company Imedi, and embezzling about 9 million laris (over $3.2 million) of state funds are under consideration. In October 2021, Saakashvili secretly arrived in Georgia, but was detained and charged with illegal border crossing. In May 2022, he was taken to the Viamed private clinic in Tbilisi due to his deteriorating health, where he is currently staying.