A Berlin court has ruled Thursday to put Georgia's former Defence Minister Irakly Orkuahsvili on a two-month pre-trial imprisonment. The opposition leader was detained in Berlin on Tuesday following a request from Georgia.
Under German law, Georgia has 40 days to submit evidence and substantiate an extradition request. The ex-minister is charged with corruption, money laundering and abuse of power. Irakly Orkuahsvili was originally arrested in his home country in September after accusing the then President Mikhail Saakashvili of corruption He was released on $US 6 million bail and left for Germany allegedly to receive medical treatment. Georgia issued an international arrest warrant when the opposition leader failed to appear at court in November. Okruashvili had been the Defence minister in 2005-2006 and for many years a faithful ally of now former president Mikhail Saakashvili.