Ex-NBG head Kadagidze summoned for questioning in ‘mask fund’ case

Former president of the National Bank of Georgia Giorgi Kadagidze has been summoned for questioning in connection with the so-called “mask fund” case, formally classified as sabotage and attempted sabotage.

Kadagidze confirmed the summons in a public statement on Monday, describing the case as politically motivated. He said his only connection to the matter was a donation of 10,000 GEL to support activists who, according to him, had been beaten and persecuted for expressing dissent against Georgia’s deviation from its European path.

“I’ve been summoned for questioning in court over the so-called ‘mask funds’ case - officially titled sabotage and attempted sabotage. It would be laughable if it weren’t happening in our country, affecting our European prospects, and if our friends weren’t imprisoned on fabricated charges,” Kadagidze said.

“The only connection I had with these funds was transferring several thousand lari to help the families of young people who were beaten and tortured for standing up for Georgia’s European future. My only regret is that I could not do more to support them,” he added.

Kadagidze, who served as National Bank Governor from 2009 to 2016, is among several public figures questioned in recent weeks amid what opposition and civil society groups describe as a widening government crackdown on pro-European activists.