Ex-Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili dismisses legitimacy of Temporary Investigative Commission

Former Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili strongly criticized the Temporary Investigative Commission after his questioning by the magistrate judge, declaring that neither the commission nor the parliament truly exists.

“I outgrew the age for circus visits a long time ago. There is no parliamentary commission, just as there is no real parliament,” Okruashvili said.

He dismissed the commission’s legitimacy, stating that he had no obligation to participate since he was not properly summoned according to procedure.

“I felt like I was in kindergarten. They were asking about how I referred to Mikheil Kareli on social media, whether I owned a certain page, and what posts I had recently made about the commission—all completely unserious questions,” he added.

The Temporary Investigative Commission was formed on January 9, 2025, by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party to probe alleged human rights abuses, business intimidation, media takeovers, and crimes related to the 2008 Russia-Georgia war under the United National Movement (UNM) government.

Okruashvili, who was questioned by a magistrate judge at the Tbilisi City Court, maintained that the commission had already decided to refer his case to the Prosecutor’s Office and that the process was merely political theater.