Opposition, ruling party MPs clash in Parliament after National Bank allows access of US sanctioned ex-official to accounts

The ruling Georgian Dream and opposition MPs clashed in the state legislature on Wednesday after the National Bank on Tuesday issued a decree that banned the enforcement of US sanctions on the country’s citizens without the approval of domestic courts. 

The decree came following the US sanctioning of Otar Partskhaladze, a former Prosecutor General under the Georgian Dream Government in 2013, last week for promoting Russian interests in Georgia and cooperation with Russian intelligence. 

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, urged the US to present evidence, saying “punishing people without a court verdict, business racketeering is a thing of the past”. 

The clash in the state legislature started after the Parliament Speaker rejected the opposition’s demands to discuss Partskhaladze’s issue and the opposition members called Kobakhidze and the current Government “Russian spies”. 

Two vice presidents of the National Bank on Wednesday announced their resignation, while two major commercial banks announced they would not act in line with the NBG decree.