Lelo nominates TBC Bank co-founder Khazaradze facing embezzlement charges for premiership
Mamuka Khazaradze is facing criminal charges for allegedly laundering 16.7 million USD in a case that stretches back more than a decade. Photo: Lelo for Georgia.
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Political party Lelo has nominated Mamuka Khazaradze, the co-founder of Georgia's TBC Bank, for the premiership earlier today in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections to be held on October 31.
Khazaradze, along with co-founder Badri Japariadze, is on 700,000 GEL bail for allegedly laundering 16.7 million USD in a case that stretches back more than a decade.
We offer the European style patriot Mamuka Khazaradze for the premiership to the Georgian people, “ said one of the leaders of Lelo, former Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili.
Khazaradze said that Georgia needs a new force to carry out reforms.
Our major goal is to defeat poverty, unemployment and unprofessionalism in Georgia,” said Khazaradze.
Khazaradze entered politics following charges brought against him in a money laundering case, initially founding the civil movement Lelo back in 2019.
Khazaradze founded Lelo movement back in 2019. Photo: Lelo for Georgia press offfice.
Lelo’s election plan includes:
- The creation of 200,000 jobs and a strong middle class, with 600,000 citizens at least receiving more than 3,000 GEL in monthly income
- Strengthening of farmers and the complete usage of agricultural lands
- Ensuring state care for each elderly individual living alone
- Guaranteed first job for the young population and funding the first accommodation for young families
- More powerful and independent women
- State health insurance for all families in the country with the involvement of private insurance companies
Most recent polls show Lelo may take 1-3 per cent of votes in the elections.
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Founder of the Lelo For Georgia political movement, Mamuka Khazaradze, who faces charges of laundering $16 million, has stated that Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic course is ‘under threat,’ appealing to the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party MPs, members and supporters to act ‘based on the state and not the interests’ of the party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Businessman Mamuka Khazaradze, who has recently entered politics, says that Georgia is in need of new judges as many of the current judges have made politically biased decisions in the past.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office have summoned TBC founders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze to charge them [later today] with laundering $16,754,000. The Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into possible money laundering on 2 August 2018, ‘after the Georgian Financial Monitoring Service sent us a written note about a possible violation’ taking place in 2007- 2008.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld last year’s verdict of the Tbilisi City Court against Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, the founders of TBC Bank and Lelo opposition party, confirming their fraud in a case dating back to 2008.