US law “fully exposed” ex-Pres. Saakashvili, UNM’s “hostility” to Georgia’s EU future - ruling party MP

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the Parliament, on Thursday claimed the latest disclosures on the activities of the United States-based law firm lobbying for the release of the imprisoned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili had “fully exposed” the “hostility” of the former official, the United National Movement opposition party and “their handlers” to “national interests” and Georgia’s European integration. 

Published on Tuesday on the website of the US Department of Justice, the new information revealed the firm Akerman had been involved in drawing up a draft resolution for the European Parliament that was critical of the Georgian Government around Saakashvili’s imprisonment, preparation of articles about the health condition of the former President for international media, and persuasion of US senators and communicate with UK officials to pursue sanctions against Georgia over his treatment in detention.

In his social media post, Mdinaradze stressed the information had been made available thanks to the US’ Foreign Agents Registration Act, after a bill for a similar law was retracted by Georgia’s ruling party in May after mass protests against it. 

He said the information had “confirmed” Saakashvili, the UNM opposition party and their “handlers” had been “taking actions for [achieving] sanctioning [of] the country and destroying its international image” amid the European Union’s forthcoming decision on Georgia’s membership candidate status later this year. 

This time, it is very much hostile to Georgia’s European future”, said the lawmaker. 

Mdinaradze also responded to an incident last week that saw the country’s Special Penitentiary Service release a footage allegedly showing a visiting Polish medical professional smuggling a biological sample of Saakashvili out of the Tbilisi clinic where the former President is undergoing treatment, and alleged the move could be aimed at “falsifying” the results of a medical examination on his health and using it to “affect the country’s image”.