Irakli Okruashvili, the ex-defense minister, was released overnight on October 9, on bail, reports said.

He was brought to his downtown Tbilisi flat by law enforcement agents, accompanied by his new lawyer, Giorgi Papuashvili.

Rustavi 2 TV reported that Okruashvili had posted his GEL 10 million bail in cash and property.

Prosecutors agreed to release Okruashvili on bail after he pleaded guilty to large-scale bribery through extortion and negligence while serving as minister and after retracting accusations against President Saakashvili that he was plotting to kill media tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili.