Ex-PM Gakharia: Garibashvili’s letter to EU Commission head evidence of informal rule in Georgia

PM Irakli Garibashvili’s letter to the European Commission President is evidence of the state put to the service of personal interests, former PM of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia said on Monday, referring to the letter released on July 18 in which the country’s PM called on the European Commission to distance itself from “unfounded allegations” against the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Gakharia and other opposition politicians suggested that Ivanishvili had been running the country formally and from the backstage since 2012, as he entered and left politics twice over the past 10 years, while the recent European Parliament resolution dubbed Ivanishvili’s role in Georgian politics and economics as “destructive,” and called for sanctions on him for his “connections with the Kremlin.”

“I trust the European Commission will stand by Georgia in building institutional democracy to end informal rule and become part of the EU family,” Gakharia tweeted on July 18.

The government administration published the letter sent to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.

In the letter, Garibashvili denied that Ivanishvili was the informal ruler of the country and an oligarch.

The Prime Minister says that the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on June 9 contained “a lot of unsubstantiated statements and factual inaccuracies” about Georgia, and he was ready to provide detailed information to the President of the European Commission in this regard if necessary.

Gakharia, who served as Interior and Prime Minister of Georgia under the Georgian Dream authorities resigned last year because of controversies with the ruling party.

The Georgian Dream top figures, as well as Ivanishvili, accused Gakharia of being allied with the “destructive” United National Movement opposition and attempting to overthrow the current government.

However, no evidence has been presented so far to back the allegations.