During an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster on January 18, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, and Members of the European Parliament had made unfounded accusations against Georgia regarding the alleged torture of Saakashvili.

The Speaker stated that recent evidence, specifically the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) report on Saakashvili’s health, refuted these allegations. He highlighted that President Zelenskyy, President Sandu, and the MEPs had been misinformed and asserted that they had misrepresented the situation.

“Today, we learned that President Zelenskyy was lying when he was accusing Georgia of torturing Saakashvili; we learned that President Sandu was lying when she was accusing Georgia of torturing Saakashvili; we learned that the MEPs were lying when they were accusing Georgia of torturing Saakashvili,” - said the Speaker of the Georgian Parlament: 

The Speaker expressed disappointment in the conduct of these Western politicians, indicating that they had unjustly embarrassed themselves and their respective nations before the people of Georgia: "“Today, we found out that numerous Western politicians have embarrassed themselves in front of Georgia and its people by baselessly accusing Georgia of torturing Saakashvili,” Speaker Papuashvili continued, expressing the expectation, though he considered it unlikely, that these individuals, namely Zelenskyy, Sandu and the MEPs, would apologize", - He added.  

Furthermore, Papuashvili emphasized that the decision regarding Saakashvili's potential transfer to a penitentiary facility rests with medical professionals. He also underscored that there would be no leniency for Saakashvili and stressed the importance of holding him accountable for his actions before the Georgian people.