The US Embassy in Georgia has confirmed that no financial sanctions have been imposed on the ruling Georgian Dream party honorary chair and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili or his family members.
In a statement to domestic media, the Embassy emphasized, “the United States has not imposed financial sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili or his family members. The US Treasury Department publicly publishes all financial sanctions.”
The clarification comes in response to a report by the Georgian opposition-leaning TV Formula this week, which claimed banks had restricted access to the accounts of Ivanishvili’s children living abroad. The reports suggested some banks have “suspended access to part of the accounts” and limited financial resources for certain family members.
Three of Ivanishvili’s four children—Uta, Gvantsa, and Bera—have resided outside of Georgia for several years. The media cited a source indicating the measures taken by financial institutions stemmed from what it termed “pre-sanctions,” suggesting that banks were acting based on “reliable information” disseminated by the US Treasury or State Department, as well as European institutions.
While the channel did not provide any official documentation over sanctions against Ivanishvili or his family, the report referenced prior information from Voice of America, which earlier suggested a package of sanctions against the billionaire politician had been developed by the US government. The report indicated that US officials were contemplating the imposition of these sanctions in the near future.
This development follows reports from September 20, when Voice of America reported that high-ranking US officials had confirmed plans for sanctions against Ivanishvili, linking him to actions allegedly directed by Russian intelligence services.
