According to the Public Defender, Nino Lomjaria, she met with President Salome Zurabishvili on the health issue of the former President, Mikheil Saakashvili.

As Lomjaria told the journalists, she shared her impression with Salome Zurabishvili regarding Mikheil Saakashvili, which she made as a result of the visit with the former President at Vivamed.

Regarding the statement of the Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze, that the state offers Mikheil Saakashvili to bring any doctor from any foreign clinic and involve him/her in the treatment process, the Public Defender says that "it is good if foreign doctors are allowed in".

"According to the legislation of Georgia, in the case when the prisoner's health condition does not improve and cannot be improved under the prison conditions or is incompatible with the prison conditions, in this case the court makes a decision to release him/her or postpone the sentence. Accordingly, the other alternatives that were discussed yesterday, I do not know in which legal forms they fit. It is good if foreign doctors are allowed, it is not really bad, but legally this is the way. In such a case, the court considers these two issues. Accordingly, it will be a release from the sentence, or a postponement, in both cases, the prisoner can make the decision himself/herself. It is up to him/her to decide if s/he will continue treatment in Georgia or abroad.

Before we talk about slanderous statements or wrong diagnoses, I think we should wait for the results of the conclusion. I know that studies are being conducted and the results of these expert studies are almost in their final stages. Personally, I would refrain from making assessments of a specific diagnosis, because I am waiting for the results of this examination and the results of the analysis. I think that all this should be presented to the court and the court should discuss with the appropriate procedure.

As for his health condition, I have mentioned many times that I am not a doctor, I cannot make a specific diagnosis, but I have personally seen a patient in a very serious condition. In such a situation that I personally could not imagine that the situation would be so difficult. I did not expect that Mikheil Saakashvili would be so physically weakened, and the doctors themselves admit on the spot that his dynamics in the neurological direction, or in other directions, are negative, that is, there is no improvement," said Lomjaria.

According to the Ombudsman, she does not have solid legal expert grounds right now in order to apply to relevant agencies, because the experts' report on Mikheil Saakashvili's health has not been published yet.

"I am waiting for the medical report, we have not yet received this report, however, the Public Defender has the option, if we consider that there is a real reason for the postponement of the sentence or exemption from the sentence due to the health condition, we can apply to the relevant agencies with the opinion of a friend of the court or recommendation. We have done this in similar cases and we do not rule out that if necessary we will do so. Today, at this moment, I do not have solid legal expert grounds to prepare such a conclusion, because the expert's report has not been published yet," said Lomjaria.

source: IPN