Parliament Speaker claims “attempt to create political hysteria” behind calls for investigative commission on Shovi disaster

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the demand by a part of the domestic opposition to set up a Parliamentary investigative commission into last week’s landslide disaster in western Georgia’s Shovi resort was an “attempt to create more political hysteria”.

In his remarks over the calls - made after the landslide killed 21 in the resort - Papuashvili said members of the Parliament had “various tools to receive information” about the disaster.

They should say what questions remain [around the disaster and related efforts of authorities] to which they have not been able to get an answer”, the official said, before also questioning the necessity of forming the commission for the questions.

“It seems to me that this is more an attempt to create another political hysteria using investigative commissions”, Papuashvili said.

I think politicians should take this issue more seriously and responsibly and should not use such a disaster, tragedy for their political goals and points. But in this case, if they have any substantive interest, I repeat, they have enough tools”, he noted.

Papuashvili on Wednesday alleged a “misinformation and fake news” campaign had followed the landslide on August 3.