Wanted ex-Minister Kezerashvili has confirmed funding of domestic opposition, TVs with money “stolen from European pensioners” - PM
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday commented on an international fraudulent scheme featuring Georgia’s former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili. Photo: Government press office
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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”.
The Government head was making a reference to a BBC report last month on Kezerashvili’s alleged links with a fraudulent scheme defrauding European pensioners.
In the programme, the public 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 him to be at the centre of the scheme in which fake call centre operators pretending to represent legitimate agencies offered investment opportunities to their targets in Europe while defrauding them of funds.
Shortly before the publication of the report, Kezerashvili on April 3 told the Georgian-based Formula TV channel - where he owns shares - that he was funding “pro-Western groups” in the country that requested support from him.
In his press comments on Tuesday marking the Allied Victory Day in World War II, Garibashvili stressed his Government was “actively cooperating” with European investigative agencies over the fraudulent scheme and added “everything will be clarified in the end”.
He also slammed domestic opposition groups for their “silence” over Kezerashvili’s alleged involvement in the scheme “defrauding one billion dollars from European pensioners”.
A robbery of the century took place, and Kezerashvili and domestic opposition groups funded by him still have an ambition to come to power. This is alarming”, Garibashvili said, and urged domestic media to challenge the opposition with questions on the scheme.
Kezerashvili is wanted in Georgia for embezzlement of state funds during his time as the Defence Minister in the United National Movement Government between 2006-2008, with the Tbilisi Court of Appeals in March upholding the City Court verdict on the case and ordering him to pay €5,060,000 in compensation to the Ministry.
The State Audit Office of Georgia on Tuesday said it would investigate a claim by a member of the United National Movement opposition party who said the party’s incumbent Chair Nika Melia had received a car as a gift from David Kezerashvili, the wanted former UNM Defence Minister and current owner of a commercial TV channel.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed the opinions of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the European Commission on the Georgian deoligarchisation bill “contradict each other”.
Boštjan Škrlec, the Vice President of Eurojust, the European Union’s Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation based in the Hague, on Wednesday hailed Georgia as a “very strong player” in the investigation of complex transnational crime.
Levan Khabeishvili, the head of the United National Movement opposition party, on Tuesday confirmed his forthcoming meeting with David Kezerashvili, Georgia’s wanted former Defence Minister under the UNM Government, in Cyprus.
Nika Melia, the former Chair of the United National Movement, the largest party in the domestic Georgian opposition, on Monday refused to become involved in a potential new board of the party and related talks, citing “informal influence” of David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia, and Vano Merabishvili, the former Interior Minister under the UNM Government, over party affairs.