President says she has three months to terminate citizenship of US sanctioned ex-official

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili’s office on Tuesday said she had a three-month term to terminate the Georgian citizenship of Otar Partskhaladze, a former Prosecutor General under the Georgian Dream Government who was earlier this month sanctioned by the US for alleged cooperation with Russian FSB. 

 

The explanations over terms came following speculations over the topic, the President’s Office noted. 

 

The Georgian Justice Ministry last week approved the claims by the US State Department that Partskhaladze, who took official post in 2013, held Russian citizenship and he would lose the Georgian citizenship by the President’s decree as the former official had made no requests for dual citizenship. 

 

In her comments following the US sanctioning of Partskhaladze on September 14, Zourabichvili claimed she would have terminated his citizenship “instantly” if the former official’s Russian citizenship was confirmed. However, later the President said she wished to see Partskhaladze punished as a Georgian citizen and delayed the move.

 

Zourabichvili’s approach has caused controversies in the public.