Georgia charges ex-PM, opposition leader Gakharia in deepening crackdown

FILE PHOTO: Giorgi Gakharia, chairman of the opposition political party "For Georgia", speaks to the media after a meeting with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili in Tbilisi, Georgia October 9, 2024. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo

TBILISI (Reuters) -Georgian prosecutors on Wednesday charged Giorgi Gakharia, an exiled opposition leader and former prime minister, with offences related to his time in office, amid an escalating crackdown against opponents of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Gakharia, who served as Georgian Dream's prime minister from 2019 to 2021, broke with the ruling party after his resignation and founded his own political party, which came fifth in last year's election.