Opposition MP: former Defence Minister Kezerashvili “robbed Georgian army, European pensioners”
Elisashvili’s comment came following 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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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”.
Elisashvili’s comment came following 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.
“Kezerashvili - a rare thug - robbed the army in Georgia, then went to Europe and started robbing European pensioners”, the MP said in response to the revelations.
The BBC is not a prosecutor's office, but its investigation is reputationally damaging. Of course, this investigation will be the basis of a [legal] investigation against Kezerashvili in European countries. People like Kezerashvili should be in jail”, Elisashvili added.
The opposition MP also stressed the domestic opposition was in a “shameful situation” through its funding by the former Minister, in reference to recent comments by the latter that confirmed his financial support for political forces in the country.
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 centre operations were under investigation across the country.
Kezerashvili is wanted in Georgia for embezzlement of state funds during his time in office between 2006-2008, with the Tbilisi Court of Appeals last month upholding the City Court verdict on the case and ordering him to pay €5,060,000 in compensation to the Ministry of Defence.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
A fraudulent scheme linked with David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, by an investigation of the British Broadcasting Company has cost at least 33,000 victims in Europe an estimated €89 million, Eurojust said on Thursday.
Eurasianet, an independent news organisation based at the US Columbia University’s Harriman Institute, on Friday said questions were mounting in Georgia about the political influence of the wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili after a BBC investigation had identified him as the “lynchpin” of a global scam network.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said the country’s wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili had “confirmed” he was an “oligarch” and was funding domestic opposition and TV channels with funds “stolen from European pensioners”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday called on the country’s State Audit Office to look into income sources of several opposition groups, claiming they were setting up “fake organisations” and attracting foreign donations “illegally” for their political goals.