Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has been detained, the country’s prime minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Friday.

"I would like to inform our society that the third president of Georgia, wanted man Mikhail Saakashvili, has been detained," Garibashvili said.

Earlier on Friday, Saakashvili said he had returned from exile to Georgia, despite a threat of arrest ahead of local elections in the Caucasus country.

The 53-year-old, who was Georgian president from 2004 to 2013, is wanted by Georgian authorities on abuse of office charges. He left Georgia in 2013 when his second and final term as president ended.

Saakashvili has denied the accusations which he says are politically motivated.

Earlier this week, Saakashvili announced his planned return from Ukraine, saying he would be flying to the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Saturday evening.

Garibashvili responded by saying if Saakashvili set foot on Georgian soil, "he will be immediately arrested and brought to prison."

(With input from agencies)