GD’s Mdinaradze responds to kidnapping allegations of opposition leader's husband

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and parliamentary majority leader, has dismissed claims by Tina Bokuchava, chairwoman of the United National Movement (UNM), that her husband Kote Ioseliani was kidnapped and forced to record an apology video to Uta Ivanishvili, son of the GD founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

At a briefing on Monday, Mdinaradze described the allegations as part of a coordinated smear campaign. He argued that this is a new tactic by the opposition, suggesting that individuals deliberately create scandals by making inflammatory statements, then apologizing under pressure, and finally claiming to have been kidnapped and coerced.

Mdinaradze stated:

“It’s a coordinated campaign. When they can’t think of anything else, they start a new cycle: someone says something outrageous, apologizes two days later, and then claims they were forced to do so. This is a vile speculation. Apparently, they have nothing else left, so they’re resorting to such stories.”

He continued:

“Let me offer a scenario to Tina Bokuchava and her husband: someone publicly insults them with vile remarks, then that same person apologizes and claims they were forced to do so. This is the level of speculation we’re seeing. It’s getting so absurd that soon they’ll be physically harming each other for more drama.”

Mdinaradze also referenced social media videos that surfaced recently in which individuals apologized for making defamatory remarks about Georgian Dream representatives.

“It seems this is a deliberate campaign. They’ve got nothing else left, so now they’re playing this game – say something disgusting, apologize, then claim you were abducted and coerced.”

Earlier, Bokuchava had claimed that her husband was ambushed by masked men near their home, blindfolded, and taken to an unknown location, which she believes was the so-called Module building. She said he was held for about eight hours and forced to record a video apologizing to Uta Ivanishvili for remarks he made in 2018 about his sexual orientation.

In his apology video, which surfaced on Sunday, Ioseliani said:

“I sincerely apologize to Uta. What I said was a lie, and I regret having said it.”

Bokuchava has described the video as coerced and part of a broader campaign of political intimidation aimed at silencing her and her family.