Public Service Development Agency “considers it appropriate” to terminate US-sanctioned ex-official’s Georgian citizenship

The Agency noted that the relevant decision had already been sent to the President. Photo via Justice Ministry

Agenda.ge, 20 Sep 2023 - 20:38, Tbilisi,Georgia

The Public Service Development Agency of the Justice Ministry on Wednesday said it had deemed it appropriate to terminate the Georgian citizenship of the United States-sanctioned former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze.

The body’s comment followed Zourabichvili’s statement yesterday, in which the President said she was “waiting for a decision on the termination of Georgian citizenship for Partskhaladze, which she would immediately comply with”.

The Agency noted that the relevant decision had already been sent to the President.

The US-sanctioned ex-official obtained citizenship of a foreign country, which according to the Organic Law on Georgian Citizenship “is a ground for losing the [Georgian] citizenship”. As the Presidential Administration explained, Partskhaladze had not used his right to renounce his Georgian citizenship, since he had not applied to the relevant agencies for the renunciation from it.

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.

The State Security Service of Georgia on September 15 said it had also started “studying” the sanctioning of Partskhaladze.