A Georgian court has impounded properties belonging to former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Lawyer Otar Kakhidze said on September 19 that his client's house and land in the eastern Kvareli district were impounded, pending the end of an investigation against Saakashvili.
The Court of Appeals in Tbilisi also impounded an apartment in the capital belonging to Saakashvili's wife, Sandra Roelofs, and properties belonging to his mother and his grandmother.
The move may spark criticism from Western nations including the United States, which has warned Georgia's government against any politically motivated prosecution of former officials.
Saakashvili led Georgia from 2003 to 2013. He left the country after his presidency ended last November.
He has been charged in absentia with abuse of office and with organizing an attack on a lawmaker.
Saakashvili says the charges are baseless.
Based on reporting by apsny.ge and ITAR-TASS