GRASS chair: Ivanishvili still in politics

Ivanishvili has gone nowhere and it is better for him to be accountable to the public, Director of Georgia’s Reforms Associates (GRASS) Paata Gaprindashvili told Front News on Thursday, commenting recent difficulties the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili has faced and the comments of the ruling party top figures on them.

 

A Swiss bank has delayed a 500 million USD transfer for Ivanishvili as it has recently lost a lawsuit, and the tycoon also faced complications in the transportation of his works of art and a helicopter reportedly due  to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

Despite Ivanishvili holding Georgian and French citizenship and claims he suspended all his business activities in Russia by 2012, several Ukrainian officials have dubbed him as a Russian oligarch, encouraging the West to impose sanctions on him.

 

Head of the ruling party Irakli Kobakhidze said earlier this week that creating obstacles for  Ivanishvili could serve the goal to force him back to politics and then drag Georgia into the war.

 

Gaprindashvili says that if Ivanishvili really left politics as the ruling party says this, then the party officials should not spend so much time on the issues related to the former prime minister.

 

“However, the reality is that he (Ivanishvili) has not gone anywhere,” Gaprindashvili suggested.

 

Ivanishvili announced his entry to politics prior to the 2012 parliamentary elections.

 

His Georgian Dream coalition defeated the nine-year-rule of the United National Movement in the race.

 

In 2013 Ivanishvili said he left politics and would have returned if there was an unfavorable situation. However, he claimed that there would be no need for his return.

 

However, in  2018 Ivanishvili announced his return and quit politics again in 2021, shortly after the 2020 parliamentary elections.