KIEV (Sputnik) – On Monday, Saakashvili said he had made a decision to step down due to Ukrainian authorities' alleged unwillingness to fight corruption, while also accusing Poroshenko of protecting criminal groups in the region.
"President Petro Poroshenko dismissed the head of the Odessa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili from office," the Wednesday statement says.
8 November 2016, 14:25 GMT
Saakashvili, a fugitive from prosecution in his homeland Georgia, was granted Ukrainian citizenship and appointed the governor of Odesa Region last year. He served as Georgia's president between 2004 and 2013. He left for the Unites States just days before his presidential term expired, and has been living outside Georgia ever since. In spring 2014, Georgia accused Saakashvili of embezzling immense sums from the state budget, and started an investigation into the case. The former president has denied the charges.
