The Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia reports that it has filed criminal charges against the former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.

The criminal case pertains to the violent dispersal of anti-governmental mass protests on November 7, 2007, raiding the TV Company IMEDI by a riot police, and the illegal take-over of the property of Arkadi Patarkatsishvili.

Charges were also filed against Ivane Merabishvili, the former minister of the interior, Zurab Adeishvili, the former prosecutor general, Davit Kezerashvili, the former minister of defense and Giorgi Ugulava, the former mayor of Tbilisi.

TV IMEDI Ltd. has been intensively broadcasting internal developments of Georgia of a highly sensitive nature, thus raising public concerns.

Among others, these issues included the high profile deaths under obscure circumstances of Sandro Girgvliani, Amiran Robakidze, Zurab Vazagashvili and Zurab Zhvania (the former Prime Minister).

 In September 2007, Irakli Okruashvili, the former Georgian minister of defense, declared that then President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered him to murder A.Patarkatsishvili.

At the time the government had no adequate response to the information released by TV IMEDI. This circumstance negatively reflected on the ratings of the ruling party; the UNM.

Consequently, government representatives under the leadership of Mikheil

Saakashvili were intensively negotiating with Arkadi Patarkatsishvili as to the possible handover of the TV IMEDI.

The government and President Mikheil Saakashvili expressed their readiness to exchange the Railway of Georgia for “TV IMEDI” upon the consent of A. Patarkatsishvili.

The railway was one of the most powerful assets in Georgia, but Patarkatsishvili rejected the government’s offer.

A. Patarkatsishvili sought more guarantees to maintain the TV Company. To this end, management rights of TVIMEDI Ltd., were transferred to NEWS CORP EUROPE Inc., registered in the United States of America.

Despite this move, the most critical coverage against the government and exposing the alleged commission of crimes by senior governmental officials became the reason for exercising pressure on Arkadi Patarkatsishvili and his family. All governmental branches under the leadership of Mikheil Saakashvili were involved in this matter.

In November 2007, widespread dissatisfaction among the public resulted in mass demonstrations against the government.

On November 4, 2007, upon the instruction of M. Saakashvili, an adhoc meeting was arranged at the office of Ivane Merabishvili in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

I. Merabishvili personally chaired the meeting in the presence of General Prosecutor Zurab

Adeishvili,  Minister of Defense  Davit Kezerashvili, Head of the Constitutional Security Department Davit Akhalaia, Tbilisi Mayor  Giorgi Ugulava, Minister of Culture Giorgi Gabashvili, and regional governors.

At the meeting, it was decided to make a list of individuals participating in the mass protests with the intention to further identify potential targets for threats, exercising physical and psychological pressure.