Parliamentary committee approves dismissal of four MPs
The committee’s decision will be voted on by the parliament, with support from at least 76 MPs in the 150-member body required to formally suspend the four politicians. Photo: Parliament of Georgia.
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The Georgian parliament's Procedural Issues Committee approved suspension of parliamentary member status for three opposition leaders and the former speaker on Monday, bringing the process closer to formal revocation of their positions.
Leading opposition figures - Elene Khoshtaria from Droa party, Shalva Natelashvili from Labour Party and Badri Japaridze from Lelo - were the subject of the decision, along with former parliament speaker and ruling Georgian Dream party member Kakha Kuchava.
The committee’s decision will be voted on by the parliament, with support from at least 76 MPs in the 150-member body required to formally suspend the four politicians.
For Khoshtaria and Natelashvili, the termination of their MP status was approved due to their absence on all the autumn sessions of the legislative body. The parliamentary regulations allow for suspension of member status in such cases.
Labour Party leader Natelashvili began his parliamentary boycott in July last year, before his party started deliberating on re-entering the legislative body earlier this year. On her part, Khoshtaria, who had obtained her parliamentary mandate with her previous party European Georgia, said the mandate had not belonged to her, but to the party.
For Japaridze, the termination was connected to his conviction of fraud in a case dating back to 2008. Japaridze, a co-founder of TBC Bank and a current leader of Lelo, was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to seven years in prison by Tbilisi City Court on January 12, along with TBC co-founder and Lelo leader Mamuka Khazaradze. Their sentence was waived due to the statute of limitations.
As for Kuchava, he resigned from the post of parliament speaker and refused the position of MP on December 24.
Following a court decision in which TBC Bank co-founders Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze were convicted of fraud in a case dating back to 2008, it remains to be seen whether the former will remain a member of parliament.
Founders of TBC Bank and current leaders of the Lelo opposition party Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze have been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to seven years in prison by Tbilisi City Court today, but due to the statute of limitations their prison time was waived.
United National Movement, the largest opposition party in Georgia, has announced an end to their parliamentary boycott following seven months of refusal to participate in the activities of the state legislature, with the head of the parliamentary faction Khatia Dekanoidze revealing the decision on Monday.
Member of the Georgian Parliament and a former leader of the European Georgia opposition party Elene Khoshtaria has created a new political force Droa (eng. It's Time) which aims to expose corrupt officials, abusers, thieves-in-law and those involved in nepotism and who have ties to Russia.
Two Georgian-based non-governmental organisations have called on the country’s parliament not to support removal of MP status from three opposition leaders, following an approval of the Procedural Issues Committee to revoke their positions on Monday.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has rejected calls made by opposition figures to restore proportional lists that would allow replacement of MPs whose status is being suspended in voting in the legislative body, with officials from the party pointing out to a past support for removal of the reserve lists by the opposition.
The Georgian parliament has approved suspension of parliamentary member status for opposition's Elene Khoshtaria, Shalva Natelashvili and Badri Japaridze and former speaker Kakha Kuchava today.