Georgian central bank restricts access to bank assets, financial transactions to US-sanctioned former Prosecutor General
The National Bank of Georgia on Monday restricted access to bank assets and financial transactions to Otar Partskhaladze. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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The National Bank of Georgia on Monday restricted access to bank assets and financial transactions to Otar Partskhaladze, the former Prosecutor General of the country who was last week sanctioned by the United States Department of State for alleged ties with Russia.
The Bank said it had acted to restrict the accounts on the basis of an instruction issued by its President in August that required the domestic financial sector to bring its operation in line with sanctions for individuals in the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control list.
It added the restrictions were the latest examples of the institution’s “full compliance” with the sanctions imposed by Western institutions and governments on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, with a new department at the National Bank supervising the process domestically.
The US State Department imposed sanctions against Partskhaladze on September 14, alleging the Russian Federal Security Service had worked with Partskhaladze to influence Georgian society and politics in favour of the Kremlin.
In addition to Partskhaladze, sanctions were imposed on Russian intelligence officer Alexander Onishchenko, who allegedly helped “his associate Partskhaladze obtain a Russian passport and possibly Russian citizenship”.
Georgian officials reacted to the development by noting Partskhaladze had held “no connection” to Georgian state structures “for the last 10 years” and rejected links between “any individual” associated with Western sanctions and the Georgian state as “speculation”.
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili on Friday said linking “any individual” associated with Western sanctions to the Georgian state was “speculation”, after the United States Department of State on Thursday announced sanctions on Otar Partskhaladze, the former Prosecutor General of Georgia, for “influencing Georgian society and politics for the benefit of Russia”.
The Georgian State Security Service on Friday said it was “studying” the sanctioning of Otar Partskhaladze, the former Prosecutor General of Georgia under the Georgian Dream Government, by the United States Department of State this week.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said Otar Partskhaladze - the former Prosecutor General of the country who was recently sanctioned by the United States Department of State for “influencing Georgian society and politics for the benefit of Russia” - had held “no connection” with state structures “for the last 10 years”.
Georgian judge Irakli Shengelia, one of four sanctioned by the United States Department of State last week, on Monday said he was going to appeal the decision in a US court.
The National Bank of Georgia on Tuesday said it had amended its regulation on compliance with the international financial sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, exempting Georgian citizens from being sanctioned without domestic court judgement.
Natia Turnava, the Acting President of the National Bank of Georgia, on Wednesday said the new amendments in the regulation on the body’s compliance with the international financial sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine were "not aimed at protection of specific names".
Iraikli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said "punishing citizens without a court verdict" had become a "thing of the past”, in comments on the Georgian National Bank’s decision to exempt Georgian citizens from the international sanctions in Russia for its invasion of Ukraine without domestic court judgement.
Natia Turnava, the Acting President of the National Bank of Georgia, on Wednesday said the Bank was in “constant communication” with commercial banks to ensure the implementation of new regulation in compliance with the international obligations of both NBG and commercial banks.
Natia Turnava, an Acting President of the National Bank of Georgia, on Friday discussed the institution’s efforts to enforce the international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in a meeting with Mark Clayton, the British Ambassador to Georgia.
The National Bank of Georgia on Monday rejected as “absolutely groundless” claims by non-governmental organisations that alleged the Georgian Government and the Bank were “shielding” four Georgian judges and a former Prosecutor General who have been sanctioned by the United States Department of State.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Monday rejected claims by non-governmental organisations that alleged the Georgian authorities had left the sanctions imposed by the United States Department of State on Georgian judges and on the former Prosecutor General “without response”.