Former ruling party chair’s son gives interview to Imedi TV on wiretap conversation with current Georgian PM

Bera Ivanishvili, the son of former ruling party chair Bidzina Ivanishvili, has given an interview to Imedi TV  about the recent wiretapped conversation with current Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. 

In the audio tapes aired by TV Pirveli last Saturday, Bera Ivanishvili was allegedly discussing with Garibashvili how some of the minors had been threatened for assaulting him on Facebook and how the current head of the Special State Protection Service of Georgia Anzor Chubinidze was in charge of fulfilling his orders.

• Civil society, opposition urge to investigate alleged crime after TV Pirveli airs covert audio tapes involving Georgian PM

During the interview Ivanishvili did not largely focus on his alleged conversation with Garibashvili, however, he said the latter (who then served as Director of LLC ‘Georgian Dream’ and was close to the Ivanishvili family) often accompanied Bera - who is a rap musician - to France. 

Bera also told Imedi TV that he and his underage supporters had been threatened in social media in summer 2011, while the security service of his family - which was then chaired by Anzor Chubinidze - met and verbally warned the offenders in presence of their parents and neighbours with ‘full adherence to law, ethics or morality’. 

• Georgian Dream on audio recordings: 'this is a falsification of illegal recordings'

Ivanishvili has claimed that the covert audio tapes were illegally made during the United National Movement government which was illegally listening not only to ‘underage Bera’ but the entire country.

However, Ivanishvili did not specify whether the recordings were authentic or fabricated, saying ‘it does not matter for him’, because if someone insults his family he will again ask for a response ‘like any other Georgian man’. 

• Prosecutor's Office launches investigation into covert audio recordings involving Georgian PM

Civil society and opposition parties demand PM Garibashvili’s resignation after TV Pirveli media outlet aired the covert audio tapes, while the ruling party says the audio tapes have been ‘fabricated’.

Georgian Prosecutor's Office has meanwhile launched an investigation looking into unauthorised recording of a private conversation and/or wiretapping, as well as recording of private communication, illegal use and dissemination of information obtained through technical means.