In a decision originally expected to dovetail with Georgia's January 5 presidential election, former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, once one of Mikheil Saakashvili's closest political allies, has been transferred from Germany to France, where his petition for asylum will be decided.

"He is already in France. And France is responsible for his political asylum and extradition as well," German Justice Ministry spokesperson Johannes Ferguson told EurasiaNet on January 9. Okruashvili was arrested in Berlin on November 27 pending a hearing on a request from Tbilisi to extradite him back to Georgia for prosecution on criminal charges of extortion, money laundering, abuse of office and negligence. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Despite repeated attempts, French officials could not be reached to elaborate on the procedure governing Okruashvili's case, or say whether or not Okruashvili remains in custody. Officials at both the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country's immigration service did not confirm that they had received any information about Okruashvili.

The Berlin criminal court that was supposed to rule on Georgia's extradition request made its decision on January 4. Okruashvili's request for political asylum, reportedly filed after he reached Munich on November 1 en route to France from Tbilisi for alleged medical treatment, was transferred to France since the former minister was traveling with a French visa.

Court spokesperson Tobias Kaehne told EurasiaNet that Germany had received paperwork from Georgia only to substantiate one of the charges brought by Georgian prosecutors as grounds for Okruashvili's extradition. Information supplied to back up the remaining charges was "incomplete," an official statement reads. Georgia had 40 days from Okruashvili's arrest on November 27 to provide back up for its allegations.

The Georgian opposition has closely watched Okruashvili's extradition case, but officials and prosecutors have consistently dodged commentary. Georgian Ambassador to Germany Levan Duchidze declined to speak with EurasiaNet, while the General Prosecutor's Office stated on January 8 that it had not received any information about Okruashvili's status from the German Ministry of Justice.

A decision by France to grant Okruashvili asylum would conceivably be seized on by opposition leaders to bolster their arguments that Saakashvili's administration does not uniformly respect civil liberties. Conversely, a decision to reject the asylum appeal could favor Saakashvili, who has long sought international recognition of Georgia as a country with developed democratic institutions. Saakashvili appears headed for re-election as president, although opposition leaders continue to protest the tally of the January 5 vote.

Speaking on Rustavi-2's December 26 program PrimeTime, Saakashvili termed Okruashvili his "biggest mistake" during his first presidential term. In late September, Okruashvili accused the government of a string of crimes, including corruption and an alleged order by Saakashvili for the "liquidation" of media tycoon and presidential contender Badri Patarkatsishvili. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Charges against Okruashvili were filed shortly thereafter, although the government has repeatedly denied that it is prosecuting Okruashvili for political reasons. Instead, Saakashvili and other officials have argued that the charges brought against the former minister serve as evidence that no official can operate beyond the reach of the law.

Before resigning as economic development minister in late 2006, the 34-year-old Okruashvili had enjoyed a rapid ascent in Saakashvili's government, going from head of the Shida Kartli region to the posts of general prosecutor, interior minister and defense minister in three years.

But those fast-track days are long over. In a recent interview with the influential German weekly Der Spiegel, the former Georgian minister claimed that his life would be at risk if he returned to Georgia to face prosecution.

Statistics suggest that most political asylum requests by Georgians seeking to remain in Europe are denied. "Today fewer than 2 percent of applicants are getting asylum because Georgia is not considered an at-risk country," said Tamuna Mardaleishvili, spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration office in Tbilisi.

About 60,000 Georgians have asked for asylum in Western states since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but most were deemed to be economic migrants, she added. The largest outflow of political asylum seekers came after the 1991 overthrow of then President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Mardaleishvili said.

Mardaleishvili noted that the process of granting political asylum is complicated and that applicants use different techniques for proving that they will be persecuted for their religious or political views. "They use newspapers stories or TV records for confirming their 'legends," said Mardaleishvili.

Although Georgian media coverage of Okruashvili's case often reflected a particular media outlet's political sympathies, one human rights activist believes that such materials could, in fact, strengthen Okruashvili's petition for asylum. "In Okruashvili's case, the chances that he will get asylum are very high because of the political scandal followed his statements and arrest that went beyond our borders," said Ucha Nanuashvili, executive director of the non-governmental organization Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre.

Okruashvili's political allies have also submitted to Germany's embassy in Tbilisi a petition with more than 34,000 signatures that asks for extradition to be denied.

Meanwhile, the former minister has been named the honorary chairperson of the Movement for a United Georgia, the party he established before his arrest in Tbilisi in late September 2007. Parliamentarian Gia Tortladze, who serves as the party's acting head and is a leading backer of presidential candidate Levan Gachechiladze, claims that the party currently has over 4,000 members.