The Georgian Justice Ministry has recommended to President Giorgi Margvelashvili that he strip former President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgian citizenship.
Justice Minister Tea Tsulukani told journalists in Tbilisi that the recommendation had been sent to the president on December 3.
Saakashvili, who introduced reforms during nearly a decade in power following the 2003 Rose Revolution, left the ex-Soviet republic after his presidency ended in November 2013.
The government that came to power after beating his party in 2012 parliamentary elections has accused him of fraud, organization of an assault, and abuse of office -- charges he denies.
Saakashvili, who holds both Ukrainian and Georgian passports, has been working as the governor of Ukraine's Odesa region since May.
Being stripped of Georgian citizenship would deny Saakashvili any chance of mounting a political comeback in his home country.
