Jailed ex-president: Seeking to distance oneself from Misha and align with Gharibashvili is a thousand times worse than allying with the Gilauris

“To those who declare Gharibashvili a political prisoner, I explain why he is not,” jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili wrote in a Facebook post.

According to Saakashvili, prior to detention, Irakli Gharibashvili had never expressed an opinion different from that of Ivanishvili and his party; therefore, he would not and could not have been arrested for his political viewpoints.

“During his time in office, he was engaged in many serious crimes, and society knows about it. In the end, Gharibashvili has never been a politician; he was a representative of a criminal organization,” he said, adding that some politicians attempt to form a certain coalition with Gharibashvili for his money and influence.

“However, I explain that seeking to distance oneself from Misha and align with Gharibashvili is a thousand times worse than forming an alliance with the Gilauris,” Saakashvili said.

For the record, several days ago, Mikheil Saakashvili shared a statement from former chair of the United National Movement (UNM), Tina Bokuchava, saying, “Irakli Garibashvili is a political prisoner in the same way that the country’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, is a political prisoner.”