Ruling party MP: foreign money should not influence Georgian politics

Archil Gorduladze, chairman of the parliamentary Legal Issues Committee, on Thursday said that foreign funds should not flow into Georgian politics and that business entities must focus on their commercial activities rather than political work.

He said the government, as the protector of Georgia’s sovereignty, must have effective mechanisms to control and regulate foreign influence.

“Business entities should perform their commercial functions, while politics should be conducted by political parties, as guaranteed by the constitution. If a legal entity engages in political activity unrelated to its main operations, its actions will aim at shaping public opinion, and administrative penalties will apply. These changes do not affect individual entrepreneurs,” Gorduladze said.

He stressed that the proposed amendments to the Law on Grants, which include criminal penalties for foreign lobbying, were designed to prevent foreign influence in politics and protect the integrity of the political process.