Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili expressed doubt on Saturday that President Salome Zourabichvili would decide to pardon former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is currently imprisoned. Papuashvili noted that Zourabichvili had already voiced her position on the matter "several times" and that he saw "no reason" for her to change it. The Parliament Speaker also pointed out that anyone attempting to secure Saakashvili's release from prison was obstructing justice and violating European standards. He stated that the Parliament had no power to intervene in the judicial process and that any attempt to do so would be a matter of personal preference. 

In November, President Zourabichvili noted that she did not have the authority to pardon Saakashvili, since the cases against him were still ongoing and Georgian law did not allow for pardons before all judicial proceedings were complete. She added that she did not wish to be used as a tool to further polarise the political landscape. 

In December, she said that the question of whether or not she would pardon the former President would be answered in due time. Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi in October 2021 and is currently serving a six-year sentence on two separate abuse of power charges, with three other cases involving his term still pending.