Irakli Okruashvili () (born 6 November 1973) is a Georgian politician who had served on various important posts in the Government of Georgia under President Mikheil Saakashvili, including being the Minister of Defense from December 2004 until being dismissed in November 2006. In September 2007, Okruashvili staged a scandalous comeback to Georgian politics, openly confronting Mikheil Saakashvili and creating the opposition party Movement for United Georgia. On September 27, 2007, Okruashvili was briefly arrested at his party headquarters on the charges of corruption, money laundering, and abuse of office. In 2007 he left Georgia and was granted political asylum in France. He was sentenced to 11-year prison term in Georgia in absentia in March 2008. In October 2010, he, remaining in France, joined Sozar Subari, Levan Gachechiladze and Erosi Kitsmarishvili in the new Georgian Party. Okruashvili was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly participating in group violence in anti-government rallies organized in June 2019. However, President Salome Zourabichvili pardoned him, alongside Gigi Ugulava, on May 15, 2020. On March 8, 2022 the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence stated that Okruashvili had arrived in Ukraine, together with other Georgian volunteers, in order to fight against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Political career Irakli Okruashvili was born in Tskhinvali, South Ossetian AO, Georgian SSR. He graduated from Faculty of International Law and Relations at Tbilisi State University. He then worked as an attorney. In government Okruashvili served as the Deputy Minister of Justice from 2000 to 2001. He joined Mikhail Saakashvili's United National Movement and was elected as a member of Tbilisi Assembly (Sakrebulo) in 2002. After the Rose Revolution, Okruashvili was appointed the Person Authorized (governor) of the president of Georgia in Shida Kartli (to which breakaway South Ossetia was a de jure part) in November 2003 and established strong anti-corruption and anti-smuggling measures in the region. He served as the Prosecutor General from January 2004 until Saakashvili appointed him Interior Minister in June 2004 and moved him to the post of defence minister in December 2004. During his tenure as defence minister, Okruashvili was known for advocating military actions against the separatists in South Ossetia. Okruashvili said on May 1, 2006, that he would resign if Georgia failed to restore control over breakaway South Ossetian by January 1, 2007. On November 10, 2006, Saakashvili appointed him Minister for Economic Development. Davit Kezerashvili became the Minister of Defence. Okruashvili