Georgia says its ex-president arrested after returning home

TBILISI, Georgia – Former President Mikheil Saakashvili was arrested after returning to Georgia, the government said Friday, a move that came as the exleader sought to rally supporters ahead of national municipal elections seen as critical for the country’s political makeup.

The announcement by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili came about 18 hours after Saakashvili, who was convicted in absentia on abuse of power charges and has lived in Ukraine in recent years, posted on Facebook that he was back in the country.

Saakashvili was president in 2004-13 and was renowned for his energetic efforts against Georgia’s endemic corruption, but Georgians became increasingly uneasy with what they saw as his authoritarian inclinations and his sometimes-mercurial behavior.

— Wire reports