A Georgian court has ordered the pre-trial detention of former President Mikheil Saakashvili in absentia.
The decision by the Tbilisi City Court late on August 1 comes after the Prosecutor-General’s Office filed abuse of office charges against Saakashvili on July 28.
The ex-president had failed to appear at the Prosecutor-General’s Office, where he had been summoned for questioning.
Saakashvili, who led Georgia between 2004 and 2013, left the country late last year after his second presidential term expired.
The charges against him stem from the breaking-up of antigovernment protests in Tbilisi in November 2007, as well as a raid on and "seizure" of the Imedi television station.
Saakashvili denies any wrongdoings while in office.
The United States and European Union have expressed concerns the charges filed against him.