Parliament Speaker Papuashvili demands EU clarify alleged political funding schemes in Georgia

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday called on the European Union, its embassy in Georgia, and embassies of EU member states to clarify whether European funds were used in “fraudulent schemes” to finance politics in Georgia through “fake NGOs,” bypassing the country’s laws.

Papuashvili said the schemes, allegedly involving both fake organizations registered abroad and legitimate foreign donor organizations, “threaten Georgian sovereignty and violate international law”. 

The official further claimed some fake NGOs were registered as non-commercial entities abroad but existed only to channel funds into Georgian politics.

He also expressed concerns that the schemes could involve money laundering, tax evasion, and “black money” flows. In other cases, legitimate foreign organizations and donor funds were allegedly used to fund political activities in Georgia under misleading grant agreements.

“Georgians gave our government a mandate in the 2024 elections to regulate foreign money in politics. It does not matter where the money comes from - whether Russian, German, French, Estonian, Dutch, or EU funds - foreign money has no place in Georgian politics,” Papuashvili said.

He stressed that current legislation required any foreign state or organization intending to spend funds in Georgia in ways that influenced domestic or foreign policy to seek public consent.