On February 8, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili released a statement in response to the Tbilisi City Court's judgment of February 6 rejecting the petition of Mikheil Saakashvili's attorneys for the delay of his sentence or his release for medical treatment. She said she felt obligated to make a political statement because the ruling condemned the Georgian people to be a captive of this scenario. Zourabichvili stated she could not and would not comment on the legal merits of that decision.

According to Zourabichvili, the decision weakens Georgia's European aspirations, damages Georgia's reputation abroad, and hinders partnership and collaboration. "All other important issues, such as rising emigration or mass immigration from Russia, are not even being debated in public while the nation is still hostage to this one subject," the president said. 

The requests for the president to use her role to pardon Saakashvili were then addressed by President Zourabichvili. "Since the pardon is an expression of the president's personal desire and not the evidence of the new attitude by the government or a sign of real depolarization, which is what Europe needs from us," she claimed. "It would not help the issue of the nation's damaged reputation. Without recognition and remorse for his sins, Saakashvili would start actively opposing not just the administration but also Georgia's standing and prospects in Europe," Zourabichvili emphasized.

According to President Zourabichvili, Saakashvili's pardoning in cases where the court had previously found him guilty would not free him from jail (since three other charges are pending). "Additionally, her pardon will not improve the nation's standing or its progress toward European integration," she stated. Zourabichvili suggested that to accomplish that goal, the government should acknowledge the suffering it is causing and find a lawful and compassionate remedy. "On the other hand, the opposition should work to have Saakashvili admit his wrongdoing once and for all and commit to leaving politics, free the country and the opposition from his influence," the diplomat added.

Irakli Kobakhidze: "It was a small joke by the president, which she can be forgiven once a year"

On the same day, in connection with the statement released by the Presidential Administration of Georgia relating to him, Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of Georgian Dream, said, "It was a small joke by the president, which she can be forgiven once a year - for some reason she wanted to joke."

According to Kobakhidze, he initially thought that the statement posted on the page of the Administration was fake. "For some reason, she wanted to joke, and she did it. In general, of course, if we look seriously at it when the president posts something like this on her official website. At first, I thought it was fake. It was incredible, but then it turned out that she wanted to joke like that, and she did it," Kobakhidze said.