PM denounces European Parliament resolution on Saakashvili as “shameful”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday denounced a “shameful resolution” of the European Parliament on the latest developments around the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili by saying “some members” of the EP aligned with “the goals and objectives of a [domestic] destructive force”.

Garibashvili was commenting on the resolution adopted on February 15, which said Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was “responsible” for the controversial circumstances around the health of Saakashvili in detention. 

A few weeks ago, the European Parliament adopted another shameful resolution. [...] [They] almost equated Saakashvili and our country. Unfortunately, some members of the European Parliament agree with the goals and objectives of a destructive force”, Garibashvili told a plenary session of the Georgian Parliament.

The head of the Government claimed by adopting the resolution MEPs had “directly said they were not interested in the fact that [Saakashvili’s] regime was killing, raping, torturing, oppressing [individuals], [and that] there was no media freedom and independent court”.

He is a declared, proven criminal - Saakashvili - who is currently serving his sentence in a private clinic. Despite this, they told us that they are not interested in all this. [They said] ‘We know that Saakashvili is a criminal, but he is our criminal’”, Garibashvili told the lawmaking body. 

In his address to the legislative body, Garibashvili also mentioned the former United National Movement Defence Minister and now private TV channel owner David Kezerashvili by calling him “the founder of elite corruption in Georgia”.

[Kezerashvili is a] robber of the army, a racketeer of business and a thief who robs European pensioners. Prosecutor's offices of [...] member states of the European Union are investigating [his activities] [while] [MEPs] are also telling us about Kezerashvili that they don't care that this man was a robber, [that he] terrorised businesses, [and] now he is robbing European pensioners - he is a criminal, but he is their criminal”, he continued. 

The PM also noted calls of the European Parliament for Georgian authorities to release Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the Mtavari Arkhi channel who has been convicted for corrupt commercial deals during his time at the head of the Rustavi 2 channel.

Gvaramia was a person who was one of the main villains, the creator of this criminal system [under UNM Government] - he was the Deputy Prosecutor, he was directly involved, for example, in expropriating Imedi TV. [On] Gvaramia, they also tell us […] that they don’t care, that he is ‘our criminal’”, he told MPs.

“This is categorically unacceptable for us as a sovereign, independent state. This is an insult to our people, to our country, our country's history, centuries-old culture [and] civilisation. […] Unfortunately, some members of the European Parliament agree with the goals and objectives of our destructive force”, he concluded.