USAID report cites Ivanishvili as “richest oligarch who captured the state”

The recent document by USAID, which said it had used the materials provided by Transparency International Georgia, made a mention of the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who left politics for the second time last year, with the domestic opposition accusing him of “running the country from the backstage” and “having links with the Kremlin.” 

“As it became clear over the past decade that the richest oligarch in Georgia has captured the state, their [TI Georgia’s] research examined the impunity of corrupt officials, Georgia’s growing economic dependence on Russia, and the oligarch’s secret businesses in Russia”, said the document. 

USAID, or the United States Agency for International Development, is an American federal government agency responsible for foreign aid and development assistance. 

It finances civil initiatives and numerous projects in many countries, including Georgia.

The publication, which is a resource for USAID employees in many countries around the world, was prepared by a special team consisting of the organization’s missions in 30 countries.

According to the authors, the guide is intended for employees who work in countries that are “entangled in rampant corruption” and whose “courageous citizens seize windows of opportunity for reform.”

In the 80-page document, USAID cites a number of examples from around the world where governments have taken advantage of windows of opportunity for reform, and makes recommendations for how staff should approach work as those windows of opportunity arise, open and close.

The authors write that it is necessary to constantly conduct political analysis so that important events in the country do not go unnoticed; It is also written that “before opening the window of opportunity”, the political analysis should be aimed at revealing the revenue streams of kleptocratic networks, showing how corrupt officials use state resources, including during the election period.

According to the document, after the “window of opportunity” closes, political analysis should help the US government defend reform gains and hold the regime accountable; 

“Such tools could include cutting aid to an increasingly corrupt government, stronger public diplomacy, and sanctions against high-level corrupt officials.”

The Georgian Drea ruling party MPs have called the document “politically biased.” 

A member of the opposition National Movement,  Levan Bezhashvili, said that the terminology used in the document iwas “diagnosis” and added:

“After this terminology is announced, specific names, surnames and a list of sanctions are already coming, so we should expect specific decisions in the near future,” he said.

One of the leaders of the Lelo opposition party, Ana Natsvilishvili, said that sanctioning and details “are a matter of time”.