Irakli Okruashvili

Irakli Okruashvili (ირაკლი ოქრუაშვილი) (born 6 November 1973) is a Georgian politician who had served on various important posts in the Government of Georgia under President Mikheil Saakashvili, including being the Minister of Defense from December 2004 until being dismissed in November 2006.

Okruashvili served as the Deputy Minister of Justice from 2000 to 2001.

He joined Mikhail Saakashvili's United National Movement and was elected as a member of Tbilisi Assembly (Sakrebulo) in 2002.

After the Rose Revolution, Okruashvili was appointed the Person Authorized (governor) of the president of Georgia in Shida Kartli (to which breakaway South Ossetia was a de jure part) in November 2003 and established strong anti-corruption and anti-smuggling measures in the region.

He served as the Prosecutor General from January 2004 until Saakashvili appointed him Interior Minister in June 2004 and moved him to the post of defence minister in December 2004.

During his tenure as defence minister, Okruashvili was known for advocating military actions against the separatists in South Ossetia.

Okruashvili said on May 1, 2006, that he would resign if Georgia failed to restore control over breakaway South Ossetian by January 1, 2007.

On November 10, 2006, Saakashvili appointed him Minister for Economic Development.

Davit Kezerashvili became the Minister of Defence.

Okruashvili resigned as Minister for Economic Development on 17 November 2006.

In September 2007, Okruashvili staged a public comeback to Georgian politics, openly confronting Mikheil Saakashvili and creating the opposition party Movement for United Georgia.

On September 27, 2007, Okruashvili was briefly arrested at his party headquarters on the charges of corruption, money laundering, and abuse of office.

In 2007 he left Georgia and was granted political asylum in France.

On September 25, 2007, he announced the formation of the new opposition Movement for United Georgia and unleashed criticism on President Saakashvili, accusing him of corruption, incompetency and human rights violations.

He also raised new concerns around Zurab Zhvania's death, challenging the official investigation point of view and personally accused the Georgian president in planning the murder of businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili.

Speculations about Okruashvili's planned party had been circulating for a long time already and many commentators expected, what they called, "a war of compromising materials" in case of Okruashvili's political comeback.

The presentation was preceded by the controversies over financial irregularities surrounding the party's new office and the arrest of Mikheil Kareli, Orkuashvili's close associate and governor of Shida Kartli, on the charges of corruption.

On September 27, 2007, Okruashvili was detained on charges of extortion, money laundering, and abuse of office while Georgia's defense minister.

On September 28, 2007, several opposition parties organized a peaceful mass rally in Okruashvili's support at the Parliament of Georgia.

On October 8, 2007, in a video taped confession released by the General Prosecutor's Office, Okruashvili pleaded guilty to large-scale bribery through extortion and negligence while serving as minister and retracted his accusations against the president, winning release on bail of 10 million Georgian lari.

He also said that his earlier accusations levelled against Saakashvili were not true and were aimed at gaining political dividends for himself and Badri Patarkatsishvili and at discrediting the President of Georgia.

Some opposition leaders said Okruashvili's statement had been made under duress.

Okruashvili declared, however, that he had decided to cooperate with the investigation in order to "mitigate [his] situation".

After he pleaded guilty, Okruashvili was released.

Okruashvili left Georgia around November 1, 2007.

He subsequently said he was forced into exile; the government said he had asked to leave because of medical issues.

On November 5, 2007, Okruashvili made a surprise appearance on Imedi TV from Munich, claiming that he had been forced to retract accusations against President Saakashvili while being in jail.

A Georgian prosecuting officer, however, rejected Okruashvili's allegations, while the senior members of the Parliament of Georgia for the ruling party described him "an instrument in the hands of Patarkatsishvili", the owner of Imedi TV, who financed opposition rallies against the Georgian government.

On November 14, 2007, following a Prosecutor's Office request, a court in Tbilisi ruled that Okruashvili be returned to police custody pending investigation.

He was sentenced to 11-year prison term in Georgia in absentia in March 2008.

In December 2007, he was arrested in Germany at the request of Georgia, but was later transferred to France, where a court ruled that he be freed on bail with Georgia's extradition request to be examined on April 16, 2008.

In the meantime, a Georgian court found him guilty of "large-scale extortion" and sentenced him to 11 years in prison in absentia on March 28, 2008.

On April 23, 2008, he was granted political asylum.

In October 2010, he, remaining in France, joined Sozar Subari, Levan Gachechiladze and Erosi Kitsmarishvili in the new Georgian Party.

Okruashvili was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly participating in group violence in anti-government rallies organized in June 2019.

However, President Salome Zourabichvili pardoned him, alongside Gigi Ugulava, on May 15, 2020.

On March 8, 2022 the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence stated that Okruashvili had arrived in Ukraine, together with other Georgian volunteers, in order to fight against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Irakli Okruashvili was born in Tskhinvali, South Ossetian AO, Georgian SSR.

He graduated from Faculty of International Law and Relations at Tbilisi State University.

He then worked as an attorney.