President Zurabishvili says ruling party officials were informed of her decision to pardon opposition leaders

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili says that Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze and the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili were informed of her decision to pardon opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili. 

Zurabishvili says that she had no consultations with ruling party officials regarding the pardon and informed them about the issue only after she made the decision independently.

It took a long time for me to make the decision and inform the PM, parliament speaker and Mr. Ivanishvili just before I officially announced it. I believe that it is not right to announce such decisions as a surprise,” Zurabishvili told Rustavi 2. 

She stated that after Ivanishvili heard the decision he told Zurabishvili that ‘it is your decision as the president.’ 

Zurabishvili said that the ruling party ‘has never interfered or influenced’ her decisions.

She stated that she has not communicated with the US legislators who believe that Ugulava and Okruashvili were ‘political prisoners.’ 

When someone says that Ugulava and Okruashvili were political prisoners it means that the people are poorly informed. We should take further efforts to provide people with correct information,” Zurabishvili said. 

Georgian PM says Ugulava and Okruashvili should not have been pardoned. Photo: government of Georgia press office.

On May 15 President Salome Zurabishvili pardoned Ugulava and Okruashvili to ‘discharge the situation.’ 

• Georgian President pardons opposition politicians Ugulava, Okruashvili to avoid 'endangering election agreement'

Zurabishvili stated that although she is very well aware of the ‘real actions and crimes’ of the two former officials, Ugulava and Okruashvili, nevertheless, as the president, she was pardoning them for the sake of 'the country’s interests’. 

PM Gakharia stated yesterday that it is unacceptable for him that ‘so-called politicians, who committed serious crimes, were pardoned only because they are in politics.’ 

It is unacceptable for me that the person who was trying to break into the parliament building on June 20 (referring to Irakli Okruashvili) and the person who stole 50 million GEL from the state budget (referring to Gigi Ugulava) were pardoned only because they are politicians, so-called politicians,” Gakharia said. 

He stated that Ugulava and Okruashvili, ‘who never deserved to be released as they committed concrete crimes’, will use the release for politician speculations, for fighting for seats in parliament and will never care about the state interests.