Former PM Gakharia’s party receives 296,266 GEL in donations, ruling party head questions party’s funding sources

Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s recently launched political party For Georgia has received  296,266 GEL (about $95,326/€81,385) in donations within the last several months while the ruling Georgian Dream party’s Head Irakli Kobakhidze accused Gakharia that its party is financed from Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

The Georgian State Audit Office report shows that For Georgia started receiving donations in April 2021 before the official launch of the party which took place on May 29. Among the party’s donors are MPs and For Georgia members. 

Head of the ruling party Irakli Kobakhidze questioned the funding sources of For Georgia late in July, noting that the ruling party has ‘some information [about the funding sources of For Georgia] and at some point, it will not be bad to make it public,’ Kobakhidze said. 

Kobakhidze accused former PM Gakharia and the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party of planning an alleged coup in February 2021. The ruling party claimed that Gakharia’s resignation ‘was profitable for the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party.’

In late June Georgian broadcasting channel Rustavi 2 reported about the possible meeting between Former PM Gakharia and former Georgian President Saakashvili in the USA. Giorgi Gakharia dismissed the information about meeting Saakashvili soon after it was reported. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party has received the most donations in the last three months of all political parties from May till today.