Former Georgian Police Official Detained On Corruption Charges

TBILISI -- Georgia's former deputy chief of military police has been detained on corruption charges.

The Defense Ministry's press service said Malkhaz Bokhua was arrested on May 29 on suspicion of being involved in the misuse of some $300,000 of military police funds in 2012.

The ministry's statement came hours after the prosecutor-general announced that additional charges against former Prime Minister Ivane Merabishvili had been filed.

Merabishvili was arrested last week and charged with abuse of power, embezzlement, bribing of voters, and exceeding his powers during a rally in downtown Tbilisi in May 2011.

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