Georgian Parliament Speaker urges State Audit Office to study alleged illegal income of opposition

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. 

The comment came following a report by Imedi TV last week that said members of the Girchi - More Freedom opposition party were hosting firearm training for young individuals. Government representatives reacted to the report by calling it an attempt to “drag Georgia” into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

In his press comments, Papuashvili alleged “fake non-governmental organisations set up by several domestic opposition groups” were facilitating income originating abroad for the latter.

The organisations are actually run by political leaders and the grants [attracted by the organisations] are being used for political goals. These are illegal political incomes and the State Audit Office should look into them”, the Parliament Speaker said. 

The official also made a mention of Girchi, Droa and European Georgia opposition parties and alleged they could be connected with attracting illicit income sources. 

He also urged the organisations in question to make their funding public, and the United States-based International Republican Institute to “uncover the scale of funding” it was providing to unspecified Georgian NGOs.