Ruling party head claims “interest” in Kezerashvili to fund “revolutionary processes” in Georgia with “bloody, dirty money”
In an interview with Imedi TV, Kobakhidze said Kezerashvili had been “protected” by a “global war party” over the years, in an apparent reference to the opposition United National Movement party and its foreign allies. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday highlighted “interest” from unspecified groups to see the wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili fund “revolutionary processes” in the country with “his bloody, dirty money”.
In an interview with Imedi TV, Kobakhidze said Kezerashvili had been “protected” by a “global war party” over the years, in an apparent reference to the opposition United National Movement party and its foreign allies.
“That is why Kezerashvili, who is wanted, moves freely between different countries while everyone knows that he has robbed businessmen, the army in Georgia and now robs European pensioners. From whom does he gain the benefit of this free movement? Of course [it is] from influential persons, and that's what the global war party is”, Kobakhidze said.
Someone has an interest in Kezerashvili funding revolutionary processes here with his bloody, dirty money, but all this is doomed to failure. Kezerashvili is known for unsuccessful investments. The main symbol of his investments is Formula TV, which has a one percent popularity rating [but] on which he spends millions of dollars every year”, the GD official concluded.
The comments follow a BBC investigation into a fraudulent “call centre” scheme allegedly involving the former official, made public in a report that last week detailed a global network of a scam operation targeting individuals with offers of investing their savings for profits.
The former Minister is also 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.
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”.
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”.
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.
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.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said he was “astonished” to see the United States Ambassador Kelly Degnan “stand up” for the wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili with comments on allegations of the latter’s involvement in an international fraud scheme.