Participants of the rally of supporters of ex-President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili in Tbilisi. Archival photo TBILISI, 13 January Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili apologized to the people who were arrested for helping them cross the Georgian border during a speech at his trial. The meeting is broadcast live by Georgian TV companies. 
Saakashvili announced the development of a plan in prison to bring the country out of the crisis «First of all, I want to thank them for their decency and I want to apologize for the fact that these people, who by their labor earn a piece of bread, had to lose several months because of me … Once again I apologize that people have suffered because of me. Least of all I wanted these people to be somehow oppressed, «Saakashvili said. After Saakashvili returned home, Georgian law enforcement officers detained Elguja Tsomaya, Giorgi Narimanidze, Zurab Tsotsoria and Shalva Tsotsoria on charges of facilitating Saakashvili's illegal crossing of the Georgian border and his movement around the country. Saakashvili was detained in Georgia on October 1. Earlier in Georgia, he was convicted in absentia in the cases of the murder of banker Sandro Girgvliani and the beating of deputy Valery Gelashvili. In the first case, Saakashvili was sentenced to three years in prison, in the second — to six. In addition, he is involved in the cases of dispersing the opposition rally on November 7, 2007, the pogrom of the Imedi TV company and the embezzlement of funds from the state budget — they are still being considered by the courts. Georgian authorities refuse to release Saakashvili. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that the ex-president will remain in prison for a long time, he will serve the entire prescribed term
