Georgia hands opposition leader 11-year jail term

By Niko Mchedlishvili

TBILISI (Reuters) - A court in Georgia on Friday found the ex-Soviet state's former defense minister and opposition politician Irakly Okruashvili guilty of corruption and jailed him for 11 years in absentia.

The prison sentence means the charismatic and controversial Okruashvili will be banned from standing in a parliamentary election in May, in which President Mikhail Saakashvili is expected to struggle to hold onto his majority.

"Okruashvili has been sentenced to 11 years for bribery involving large amounts of money and extortion," said Tbilisi city court spokeswoman Eka Chichua.

Georgia is at the centre of the Caucasus, which hosts a pipeline pumping oil to Europe from Asia, and is the subject of a tussle for influence between the United States and Russia.

Okruashvili, 34, fled to Europe last year after being granted bail in Georgia and is now in Paris waiting for a French court to decide on a Georgian request for his extradition.

He has repeatedly said he wants to remain active in Georgian politics even from exile and his lawyer, Eke Beselia, accused the authorities of using the courts as a political tool.

"The authorities wanted to disqualify Okruashvili from taking part in the upcoming parliamentary elections," Beselia said.

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