Overview

• Judge Alexander Gzirishvili ruled that Michael Saakashvili and Temuraz Janashia must return up to 9 million lari, about $3.3 million, to the state budget.
• The court found the money was misused during 2009–2012 in what is known in Georgia as the “jacket case,” involving spending on personal items and services.
• In March 2025, Saakashvili was sentenced to nine years in prison over the embezzlement case, while Janashia received a 300,000‑lari fine.
• The Finance Ministry brought the civil suit after the criminal convictions to recover the funds it says were lost to the budget.
• Saakashvili’s defense denounced the ruling as politically driven, and an appeals hearing on the criminal case is set for September 29 with prosecutors seeking a harsher outcome for Janashia.