Parliament Speaker on BBC investigation: Kezerashvili spending money “stolen from army, European pensioners” in Georgian politics
Papuashvili’s comment followed the BBC’s investigation into a fraudulent “call centre” scheme involving Kezerashvili, in a report that on Wednesday detailed a global network of a scam operation targeting customers. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the new investigation by the British public broadcaster BBC had raised suspicions that David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, was a participant in the fraudulent scheme “robbing European pensioners”.
Papuashvili’s comment followed the BBC’s investigation into a fraudulent “call centre” scheme involving Kezerashvili, in a report that on Wednesday detailed a global network of a scam operation targeting customers.
Papuashvili commented on the development by saying the money Kezerashvili was spending in support of the Georgian opposition, non-governmental sector and media was the “money stolen from the Georgian army and fraudulently obtained from European pensioners”.
Unfortunately, Kezerashvili is sheltered by Europe. We see that he is planning chaos in the country from there. We see that he himself admits that he funds political parties, the media, the non-governmental sector”, the Parliament Speaker said.
“The person who first stole €5 million from the [Georgian] army, then robbed European pensioners in a fraudulent scheme [...] is directly involved in Georgian politics, the media [and] the non-governmental sector with finances”, Papuashvili added.
The official also said he hoped European countries would “take this matter seriously” and Kezerashvili would be handed over to Georgia to face justice.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals last month upheld the City Court verdict of embezzlement of state funds by Kezerashvili during his time in office, and ordered him to pay €5,060,000 compensation to the Ministry of Defence. Kezerashvili served as the Minister between 2006-2008.
In its investigation, the British broadcaster said the Panama Papers, the 11.5 million documents leaked in 2016 to show financial dealings of wealthy individuals and officials across the world, had shown Kezerashvili to be at the centre of the fraudulent scheme that offered European citizens investment opportunities while defrauding them.
The uncovering of the scheme follows the BBC’s accompanying of Georgian and German law enforcement in their raids on offices of the fraudulent operation in Tbilisi in November, which came after Georgian police made arrests in October and Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili said in April 46 call centres operations were under investigation across the country.
The British public broadcaster BBC on Wednesday revealed its investigation into a fraudulent “call centre” scheme involving David Kezerashvili, a wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, in a report that detailed a global network of a scam operation targeting customers.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Parliament Speaker of Georgia, on Monday said the latest claims of David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, on his alleged funding of domestic opposition groups contained “signs of political corruption”.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the City Court verdict of embezzlement of state funds against David Kezerashvili, the former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, and ordered him to pay a €5,060,000 compensation to the Ministry.
The prosecutor general’s office of Georgia on Wednesday said it had solved a transnational crime involving fraudulent call centre services together with law enforcement agencies of seven partner countries.
Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Citizens opposition party, on Wednesday said David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, had “robbed the Georgian army” before moving on to “robbing European pensioners”.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Human Rights Committee from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday accused the United National Movement opposition party of being “silent” about alleged links of the wanted former Defence Minister David Kazerashvili with a fraud scheme uncovered by the BBC on Tuesday.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the BBC investigation that alleged links between the wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili and a scheme defrauding European pensioners was a source of a “scandal” for members of the European Parliament who had claimed the former official was a media manager being “persecuted” in Georgia in a resolution adopted by the EP.
The United States Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan on Thursday said the investigation by the British Broadcasting Corporation on alleged links of the wanted former Defence Minister David Kazerashvili with a fraud scheme against European citizens was an “important component” and said she hoped the Georgian authorities would have the opportunity to investigate the allegations in its own inquiry.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said “blurring lines of the political and the criminal” was never a good idea, only delaying justice, political compromise and “ultimately peace”.