US law “fully exposed” ex-Pres. Saakashvili, UNM’s “hostility” to Georgia’s EU future - ruling party MP
Mamuka Mdinaradze 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”. Photo: Georgian Dream press office
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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information had been made available thanks to the US’ Foreign Agents Registration Act, after a bill for a similar law was retracted by Georgia’s ruling party in May after mass protests against it.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”.
Georgian Parliament on Friday formally retracted the draft law on transparency of foreign influence, following the decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the bill.
Thea Tsulukiani, the Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, on Wednesday said the latest disclosure of the United States-based law firm Akerman with the country’s Department of Justice had “proved” the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili had “paid for” European Parliament resolutions calling for his release and for lobbying for sanctions to be placed on the Georgian Government for his alleged ill-treatment in detention.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Wednesday claimed the legal team of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s was working to “create impressions damaging the country's reputation” internationally, after the latest disclosure on the United States Department of Justice’s website of activities of a lobbying firm associated with the former official’s lawyers.
Medical professional from a visiting group of Polish doctors assessing the treatment offered by the staff of the Tbilisi’s Vivamedi clinic where the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili is receiving treatment attempted to sneak a sample taken from the former official through his shoe, the Special Penitentiary Service said on Friday.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday alleged the existence of an international campaign “orchestrated and funded” for the purpose of promoting and lobbying for interests of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, following the latest disclosure on the United States Department of Justice’s website of activities of a lobbying firm associated with the former official’s lawyers.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Friday said the alliance of the opposition United National Movement and Strategy Aghmashenebeli parties, promoted on Thursday as having created a “victory platform”, as a “mere marketing idea”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Monday criticised the alleged involvement of Giorgi Margvelashvili, a former President of the country, in a lobbying effort for raising the topic of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili in international media.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday alleged Giorgi Margvelashvili, a former President of the country, had “accused” the state and its penitentiary service of “torturing” the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili in detention in an “unfortunate” development.