Georgian PM says he “never used state budget” to finance trips abroad

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday said he and his family had “never used the state budget” to finance their travel expenses. 

In comments that followed controversy around Garibashvili’s August trip to the United States with his son - which some domestic media alleged had been funded with expenses from state funds - he claimed “not a single [cent]” had been spent from the budget on the travels. 

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Unlike your leader Saakashvili [former President of Georgia], I purposely paid my family [travel expenses]”, he said in reference to the opposition-leaning media channels that had made the reports, adding his Government “never used” budget funds for personal expenses “to show the contrast, the difference in the style” between the current and former governments.

The PM alleged Saakashvili and “his criminal gang” had spent “millions of lari for their own personal purposes” during their time in power.

Now the scandal that has been revealed is that the army was funding [Saakashvili’s] own entertainment. ₾14 million ($5.23mln) was wasted from the Ministry of Defence for personal trips [...] In addition, [Saakashvili made] the Ministry of Defence purchase two planes”, he said.

Garibashvili added he was “from a well-off family” and stressed the income of his family was “transparent” and reflected in formal declarations.

After I graduated from the university, even before politics, I worked with the richest man in this country [in reference to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party] and managed the richest fund [Cartu Charity Foundation]. My family has never been in poverty”, he said.

Garibashvili also told local media “no one had thought about finding out” how David Kezerashvili, the former Defence Minister in Saakashvili’s Government, “became rich” during his time in the position, in comments on the “corruption” of the former official.