Former Prime Minister and Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Irakli Garibashvili, on Sunday addressed reporters, asserting the legality of his father's substantial assets.

Garibashvili emphasized the legality of his father's wealth, stating, "My father is a pensioner, yet he possesses a multimillion-dollar business and property, all acquired through legitimate means." When pressed on the specifics of his father's accumulation of wealth at his retirement age, Garibashvili responded cryptically, referring to it as "creation by different means."

He further affirmed, "My family's income and business activities are entirely legal. Should there be genuine interest in understanding the source of my father's wealth, I am prepared to provide comprehensive information."

Public records reveal that Tariel Garibashvili, the former prime minister's father, holds a 50 percent stake in Georgian Roots LLC, purchased in February 2023 for 200,000 GEL. 

The company primarily operates in viticulture, wine production, and sales, among other sectors.

Recent disclosures from Garibashvili's updated declaration on March 23, 2024, unveiled expenditures including a private flight for his son, amounting to 109,500 GEL, along with a family trip costing $20,000.

Additional financial transactions outlined in the declaration include a gift of 150,000 GEL to the former prime minister from his parents in 2023, alongside his declared salary of 45,100 GEL last year.

Further expenditures listed in the declaration encompass 15,000 GEL for a family celebration in 2023, 42,900 GEL for their children's education, and 6255 GEL for the use of state forest land. Notably, during Garibashvili's tenure as prime minister, his wife, Nunuka Tamazashvili, secured a 49-year right of use for 5958 square meters of state-owned forest land in Bakuriani.

In response, Paata Manjgaladze, a leader of the opposition group Strategy Agmashenebeli, has voiced concerns regarding Garibashvili. Manjgaladze has accused Garibashvili of being detached from the realities faced by the people and questioned the “sudden emergence” of wealth within Garibashvili's family.

Manjgaladze expressed dismay over Garibashvili's recent remarks about his father's purported millionaire status, highlighting the apparent disparity between Garibashvili's humble beginnings and his family's newfound wealth. 

He also questioned the timeline of Garibashvili's father's wealth accumulation, raising doubts about the transparency of Garibashvili's rise to prominence within Georgian politics.