Ruling party head accuses President of attempted sabotage of National Bank

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday accused President Salome Zourabichvili of an attempted sabotage of the country’s National Bank, after the party backed the President-nominated two candidates in the Bank Council earlier during the day. 

 

Kobakhidze said “in cooperation with radical opposition groups”, Zourabichvili had tried to recall her nominees before the vote on Thursday to make the Council “dysfunctional” by December. 

 

Zourabichvili’s representative claimed the President wished to recall the nominees before the Bank annulled its controversies decree signed by Acting President Natia Turnava on Tuesday, which exempted Georgian citizens from international sanctions without a ruling by domestic courts. 

 

The amendment was introduced after the US sanctioned a former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze for cooperating with the Russian FSB. 

 

Kobakhidze said without the approval of two new members with 84 votes on Thursday,  the nine- member Council would be left with four members, as following the controversial decree three Vice Presidents of NBG resigned on Wednesday, while the body is functional with at least five members in it. 

 

He noted the Parliament rejected the President’s request to recall the nominees as Zourabichvili was not authorized to do so.