Georgia: 2 Saakashvili allies charged with fraud

Europe December 21, 2012

Georgia: 2 Saakashvili allies charged with fraud

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — The lawyers of two protégés of the former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili say their clients have been charged with bribery, fraud and money laundering.

The development comes amid a broader crackdown on Saakashvili allies by the government of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, which took power after October elections. An eccentric billionaire, Ivanishvili has pledged to investigate alleged abuses by Saakashvili-appointed officials. Several others have also been arrested and charged with crimes including abuse of office and obtaining personal data through hacking.

The lawyers said Friday that their clients were arrested earlier this week. They are Nika Gvaramia, director of the privately owned Rustavi 2 broadcaster, and former finance and energy minister Alexander Khetaguri.

Subjects
People
Locations
- Georgia,
- Tbilisi,
- Eastern Europe,
- Europe

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