KIEV, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Kiev has received an official request from Tbilisi for the extradition of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Sergiy Petukhov said on Tuesday.
"Ukraine has received the request for the search, taking into custody and extradition of Saakashvili," Petukhov told reporters during a media briefing.
The request was filed by Georgia's Chief Prosecutor Office to the Ukrainian Justice Ministry and the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Office, he added.
In Georgia, Saakashvili faces charges of corruption, abuse of power and embezzlement, Petukhov said, without specifying whether Ukraine intends to extradite the politician.
Saakashvili, 49, who served as Georgian president from 2008 to 2013, was granted Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed as governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region.
On July 26, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko revoked Saakashvili's Ukrainian citizenship over allegedly submitting false information while applying for a passport.
Saakashvili, who is now in the European Union, refused to accept the loss of his Ukrainian citizenship, saying that he would return to Ukraine on Sept. 10.
