Georgian President Saakashvili denies corruption accusations
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili denied Saturday accusations of corruption and pledged not to interfere with the trial of former Georgian defense minister, Irakly Okruashvili, who had criticized him.
"What Okruashvili did is a very heavy load for me... He accused me and people close to me, accused us of what I have been purposefully fighting - of clan corruption... The court will decide everything," Saakashvili, who interrupted his foreign visit to return to Tbilisi, said in his first comment on the ex-minister`s statements.
Earlier this week, Okruashvili accused Saakashvili of corruption and an attempt to kill businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili. He also alleged Georgian authorities had covertly planned to seize control over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia in 2006 and to split the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The ex-minister, a former ally of Saakashvili, was detained Thursday, two days after he announced the creation of an opposition movement, For United Georgia, and criticized Saakashvili`s policies. He was charged with blackmail, money laundering, abuse of office, and professional negligence. A Georgian court has extended his custody by two months.
Georgian opposition parties organized Friday a mass protest against Okruashvili`s arrest in central Tbilisi.
Several thousand protesters called for Saakashvili`s resignation, the dissolution of parliament, and early elections. Several protesters were detained when they blocked a city thoroughfare to press their demands.
Saakashvili called the situation a lesson for himself. "It is beyond understanding that during my leadership someone dared to steal so many millions. This is a lesson for me," he said.
Initially, Saakashvili had planned to fly from New York, where he attended a session of the UN General Assembly, to Greece, where he was supposed to arrive on a two-day visit October 1.
A lawyer for Okruashvili, Eka Beselia, earlier called the arrest political, and linked it to Okruashvili`s statements.
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