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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Georgia's former minister detained |
| 2007-09-28 |
| Georgian police have arrested an ex-minister for corruption charges after he accused the president of ordering him to kill a businessman. Deputy Prosecutor General Nika Gvaramiya said that Irakli Okruashvili - a former defense minister- had been detained on charges of extortion, money laundering, and abuse of power. Opposition figures said the real reason behind Okruashvili's arrest were his accusations against the president made in televised remarks late on Tuesday. Okruashvili accused Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili of corruption and discussing the possibility of eliminating a businessman, although he had no evidence to support his accusations. Leaders of Georgia's fractured opposition called on their supporters to protest in front of the parliament building against what one of them described as "political terror." President Mikhail Saakashvili sacked Okruashvili, a member of his inner circle in 2006 after the minister made hawkish statements. He attacked Russia for propping up the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and lobbied for tougher action to re-establish Tbilisi's control there. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 EINNEWS > Georgia is reporting/complaining that there is an unwarranted buildup of [Russ?] troops along its border wid Abkhazia. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-09-28 01:35 |