13:22, 30 January 2008

Georgian ex-Minister Irakliy Okruashvili released

Irakliy Okruashvili, former Minister of Defence of Georgia, has been released from custody under his advocates' guarantee. Under today's decision of the French party, the founder of the opposition party named "Movement for United Georgia" will be stay at large until a decision is made about his extradition to Georgia.

Eka Beseliya, Okruashvili's defender, has reported that the defence team has manage to prove that the client is not going to disappear from justice and can stay at large till his extradition has been considered. Consequently, the petition on changing his freedom restriction measure till his trial date (February 27) was responded in the positive.

At the same time, Ms Beseliya, who is one of Okruashvili's supporters, has expressed her confidence that the French will grant political asylum to the former Minister of Defence of Georgia and will not deport him to Georgia. The news was disseminated today by the IA "News-Georgia".