Irakli Okruashvili

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Irakli Okruashvili (Georgian: ირაკლი ოქრუაშვილი) (born 6 November 1973 in Tskhinvali, Georgia) is a Georgian politician who had served on various important posts in the Government of Georgia under President Mikheil Saakashvili, including being the Minister of Defense from December 2004 until being dismissed in November 2006.

In September 2007, he announced the creation of his oppositional party Movement for United Georgia. On September 27, 2007, Okruashvili was arrested at his party headquarters on the charges of corruption, money laundering, and abuse of office.

Political career

Irakli Okruashvili graduated from Tbilisi State University, Faculty of International Law and Relations. After graduation Okruashvili worked as an attorney.

In government

Okruashvili served as the Deputy Minister of Justice from 2000 to 2001. He joined Mikhail Saakashvili's United National Movement and was elected as a member of Tbilisi Assembly (Sakrebulo) in 2002. After the Rose Revolution, Okruashvili was appointed the Person Authorized (governor) of the President of Georgia in Shida Kartli (to which breakaway South Ossetia is a de jure part) in November 2003 and established strong anti-corruption and anti-smuggling measures in the region.

He served as the Prosecutor General from November 2003 to May 2004. Saakashvili appointed him Interior Minister in May 2004 and moved him to the post of Defence Minister in December 2004. During his tenure as defence minister, Okruashvili was known for advocating military actions against the separatists in South Ossetia.

On October 16, the Russian newspaper Versiya published an interview with Okruashvili. Okruashvili said Russia "would lose if the quarrel between the two countries escalates into a shooting war". The next day the Georgian Ministry of Defense denied that Okruashvili had participated in the interview. In response, the Russian newspaper asserted that the interview took place and the audio recording of the conversation between the reporter Ruslan Gorevoy and Okruashvili is available.

A short scandal followed to Okruashvili stating "even if you export – excuse me for this expression – feces to Russia it can be sold there” upon Russian ban of Georgian wine.

Okruashvili said on May 1 that he would resign if Georgia failed to restore control over breakaway South Ossetian by January 1, 2007.

On November 10, 2006 Saakashvili appointed him Minister for Economic Development. Davit Kezerashvili became the Minister of Defence.. Okruashvili resigned as Minister for Economic Development on 17 November 2006.

In opposition

On September 25, 2007, he announced the formation of the new opposition Movement for United Georgia and unleashed criticism on President Saakashvili, accusing him of corruption, incompetency and human rights violations. He also raised new concerns around Zurab Zhvania's death, challenging the official investigation point of view and personally accused the Georgian president in planning the murder of businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili.

Speculations about Okruashvili's planned party had been circulating for a long time already and many commentators expected, what they called, “a war of compromising materials” in case of Okruashvili’s political comeback. The presentation was preceded by the controversies over financial irregularities surrounding the party's new office and the arrest of Mikheil Kareli, Orkuashvili's close associate and governor of Shida Kartli, on the charges of corruption.

Arrest

On September 27, 2007, Okruashvili was detained on charges of extortion, money laundering, and abuse of office while Georgia's defense minister. On September 28, 2007, several opposition parties organized a peaceful mass rally in Okruashvili's support at the Parliament of Georgia.

On October 8, 2007, in a video taped confession released by the General Prosecutor's Office, Okruashvili pleaded guilty to large-scale bribery through extortion and negligence while serving as minister and retracted his accusations against the president, winning release on bail of 10 million Georgian lari. He also said that his earlier accusations levelled against Saakashvili were not true and were aimed at gaining political dividends for himself and Badri Patarkatsishvili and at discrediting the President of Georgia. Some opposition leaders said Okruashvili's statement had been made under duress. Okruashvili declared, however, that he had decided to cooperate with the investigation in order to "mitigate [his] situation".

After he pledged guilty, Okruashvili was released on US$6 million bond and left Georgia because of health issues.

On November 5, 2007, Okruashvili made a surprise appearance on Imedi TV claiming that he was forced to retract accusations against President Saakashvili while being in jail. A Georgian prosecuting officer, however, has rejected Okruashvili's allegations, while the senior members of the Parliament of Georgia for the ruling party have described him "an instrument in the hands of Patarkatsishvili", a Georgian tycoon who finances the opposition rallies against the Georgian government.

On November 14, following a Prosecutor’s Office request, a court in Tbilisi ruled that Okruashvili be returned to police custody pending investigation. He remained abroad, however. On November 28, 2007, the German Berliner Zeitung reported that Okruashvili was arrested in Berlin upon the request of the Georgian law enforcement agencies.

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