Opposition alleges ex-PM Garibashvili may face arrest as Ivanishvili ‘fears compromising leaks’

Tina Bokuchava, chair of the United National Movement (UNM), on Monday claimed that former Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili could also be detained, alleging that ruling party founder and honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili “fears he may release compromising information.”

Bokuchava made the comments while criticising what she described as a “Russian-style dictatorship” in Georgia following the detention of opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria.

“We have information that Garibashvili will also be arrested, because Ivanishvili is catastrophically afraid that he might publish some compromising materials,” Bokuchava said.

She further added Ivanishvili “spares no one, neither women nor men, neither his allies nor his opponents”, and argued that “police no longer resemble police, the State Security Service is no longer the State Security Service, and the courts are no longer courts”.

Bokuchava also described Khoshtaria as a “courageous, principled and fearless politician and activist” and said the arrest showed that “all institutions have collapsed”.

Elene Khoshtaria, a leader of the Coalition for Change and founder of the Droa party, has been detained on charges of damaging property after she spray-painted the words “Russian Dream” on a campaign banner of incumbent Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze.