Parliament Speaker: BBC investigation “scandal” for MEPs who claimed Kezerashvili was persecuted
Papuashvili’s comment followed the BBC’s investigation into a fraudulent “call centre” scheme allegedly involving Kezerashvili, made public 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 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.
Papuashvili’s comment followed the BBC’s investigation into a fraudulent “call centre” scheme allegedly involving Kezerashvili, made public in a report that on Wednesday detailed a global network of a scam operation targeting customers.
The Parliament Speaker commented on the development by saying Kezerashvili had been a part of a “criminal system” in Georgia whose high political officials had been tried by criminal law.
In June 2022, the European Parliament passed a resolution, shortly before the decision on whether to grant us [the EU candidate] status. This resolution also created a negative background for not giving us the status. [In the resolution] [t]he European Parliament recorded David Kezerashvili's name, expressed sympathy towards him and referred to him as a persecuted person. I think for the MEPs who were the initiators and supporters of this resolution, the BBC investigation is really a scandal”, Papuashvili said.
“They added the name of an international criminal to their own resolution, as if he was a persecuted media manager. This is really a scandal, and a scandal not only for them, but also for members of the European Parliament who were the initiators of this resolution”, the head of the legislative body continued.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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 Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Monday commented on the BBC investigation that alleged links of the wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili with a fraud scheme in Europe by saying the “robbery” was a continuation of the “organised robbery of the [Georgian] state” by the former United National Movement Government.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said the British Broadcasting Corporation’s investigation that alleged links of Georgia’s wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili in an international fraud scheme had led to “truth” being “revealed” in the dealings of the former official, whom he called an “international scammer”.
Georgia’s wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili on Tuesday said the British Broadcasting Corporation’s investigation that alleged his links to an international fraud scheme was a product of a journalist of the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel, whom he accused of a smear campaign for damaging his “business reputation”.
Maka Botchorishvii, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Integration Committee, on Friday said a number of resolutions by the European Parliament had involved “a number of inaccuracies” in their portrayal of Georgian domestic politics, and urged MEPs to “seek more information” before adopting decisions on related topics.