Former Georgian PM Vano Merabishvili has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of vote buying, embezzlement and abuse of office.

Former mayor of Tbilisi Zurab Chiaberashvili was sentenced to pay fine amounting to 50, 000 lari (over $28,000). Chiaberashvili was detained for creating fake jobs for the party fellows during implementation of the state employment program in 2012.

Merabishvili rejected the charges, saying the case  was politically motivated, RFE/RL reported.