Media reports on PM’s “private visit” to US “slanderous, false” - Gov’t Administration Head

The official stressed the PM had “himself covered all costs” for the private visit. Photo: Government Press Office

Agenda.ge, 10 Sep 2023 - 18:40, Tbilisi,Georgia

Revaz Javelidze, the Head of the Government Administration, on Sunday responded to reports by a domestic, opposition-minded TV Pirveli channel on Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s alleged trip to the United States with his son on a budget-funded charter flight in August, and called them “slanderous” and “false”.  

“The PM has never used budgetary funds for his travel, and never violated the law”, Javelidze told the media, adding Garibashvili had the right to use the Government board, as mentioned earlier by Anzor Chubinidze, the Head of the Special State Protection Service of Georgia. 

The official stressed the PM had “himself covered all costs” for the private visit. 

The Strategic Communications Department of the Government of Georgia on Sunday also rejected the media reports as “fake” and “deliberately” disseminated to “mislead” the public, claiming the flight carrying the PM to Munich was “commercial” and “no state funds” had been used for this purpose. 

It added the channel spread the “fake” information despite being informed by Chubinidze it was a “commercial flight” and expenses had not been reimbursed from the budget. 

The department further noted the plane on which the PM travelled to Munich was on the balance of Chubinidze’s agency and the latter was “fully authorised” to receive incomes from commercial flights both from budgetary structures and non-governmental, commercial and private individuals.