A disclosure of the law firm Akerman with the US Department of Justice has shown it received USD 917,177 from the family of Mikheil Saakashvili for the purpose of lobbying US Government officials to help free the former president.

The disclosure also revealed a large part of the money received for lobbying activities, up to about USD 300,000, had been used to pay medical experts involved in preparing reports as part of the efforts to make the case for his release in Georgian court proceedings.

The document also showed that Massimo D’Angelo, a New York partner at the Miami-based law firm, had been working on Mikheil Saakashvili’s case since July and was part of a “diplomatic push” to secure his release from prison.

As part of the efforts, D’Angelo and others communicated with Government officials in the US and Europe about measures to “hold Georgian officials accountable” for former president’s imprisonment, including through economic penalties, sanctions and suspension of foreign aid to the country”.