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Georgian President Could Face Charges Of State Budget Misuse


Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Washington in May
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Washington in May
The Georgian Prosecutor-General's Office says embattled President Mikheil Saakashvili might be questioned for alleged misuse of state funds.

Spokeswoman Khatuna Paichadze said in a televised statement on May 31 that investigations have been launched into Saakashvili's purported use of more than $11,000 of budget money for Botox plastic surgery in New York in 2009 and 2011.

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Paichadze said Saakashvili is also suspected of paying almost 6,000 British pounds ($9,000) of state money for an unnamed U.S. actress's portrait.

Paichadze added that Georgian legislation allows interrogation of the president.

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Several of Saakashvili's associates have been arrested and charged with wrongdoing since Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream coalition won parliamentary elections in October.

The United States, European Union, and NATO have all warned Ivanishvili's government of a perception of "selective justice" since the handover of power to the Georgian Dream.

Based on reporting by apsny.ge, Imedi, and RFE/RL

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