Shida Kartli Governor Dismissed

The governor of the Shida Kartli region, Mikheil Kareli, was dismissed on September 12, Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli told Rustavi 2 television.  

President Saakashvili made the decision following an incident on September 12, in which local people, including the governor, tried to storm the local city council building. The building had been sealed by police searching for further evidence of corruption, following the earlier arrest of several officials from the Gori local administration on corruption charges.
 
After the incident, Kareli, who has close links to the ex-defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, lashed out at the Georgian authorities, saying that he would reconsider his position and future.

?We were astonished to see how the Shida Kartli governor behaved during the special operation in Gori,? PM Zurab Nogaideli said. ?Instead of supporting the police and expressing concern about the alleged cases of corruption, he effectively tried to obstruct them. Naturally, we had to respond.?

He said that the decision to fire Kareli had been made following consultations with President Saakashvili. The president is now expected to nominate a new governor in a few days.

Kareli, who was Okruashvili?s last remaining ally in Saakashvili?s administration, is expected to now join the former defense minister?s new party, which is due to be established soon.

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