“Blurring lines of political and criminal" only delays justice, peace - Parliament Speaker on wanted ex-Minister Kezerashvili
“Despite these wrongdoings, Kezerashvili is still at large in Europe, leading a lavish lifestyle, and continuing stirring up trouble in Georgian politics. By not handing him to Georgian authorities, politics and criminality become intertwined”, Papuashvili noted. Photo via Parliement of Georgia
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said “blurring lines of the political and the criminal” was never a good idea, only delaying justice, political compromise and “ultimately peace”.
All it takes for our Western partners to help the Georgian political class to overcome so-called polarisation is to simply fulfil the spirit and the letter of the rule of law”, Papuashvili said in his social media post.
He noted that arresting “a criminal” - Georgia’s wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili - currently living in Europe and working “tirelessly to radicalise Georgian politics” could be a “simple and legitimate act”.
All it takes for our Western partners to help Georgian political class to overcome so-called polarization is to simply fulfill the spirit and the letter of the rule of law. Arresting and handling a criminal, currently living in Europe, who also works tirelessly to radicalize… pic.twitter.com/a1PobktDtw
— Shalva Papuashvili ???????? (@shpapuashvili) October 6, 2023
Parliament Speaker emphasised that Kezerashvili, who was sentenced by Georgian Court to repayment of over €5 million, which “he had stolen” from Georgia’s defence budget, and to a ten-year prison term, later reduced to five years by amnesty, tried to avoid execution of justice “by residing abroad”.
The American Foreign Agent Registration Act earlier this year revealed that opposition Formula TV company funded by Kezerashvili “pays hundreds of thousands of dollars” to American lobbyists to “spread political propaganda” to foreign audiences, Papuashvili stressed.
He said the wanted former Defence Minister had also managed last year to “capture” Georgia’s main opposition United National Movement party by replacing its chair with “a new leader of his own making”.
Despite these wrongdoings, Kezerashvili is still at large in Europe, leading a lavish lifestyle, and continuing stirring up trouble in Georgian politics. By not handing him to Georgian authorities, politics and criminality become intertwined”, Papuashvili noted.
A fraud scheme, a Europe-wide scandal, linked with Kezerashvili by the British public broadcaster BBC in April, was also highlighted by the Parliament Speaker, who noted the wanted official’s multiple companies “scammed European pensioners of their savings through the fraudulent call centres”.
Nika Melia, the Chair of the opposition United National Movement party, on Tuesday said “certain processes” taking place amid ongoing controversies in the party were “inspired, planned and organised from beginning to end” by Vano Merabishvili, the former UNM Government Interior Minister and David Kezerashvili, the former UNM Defence Minister and now private TV channel owner.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said the British Broadcasting Corporation’s investigation that alleged links of Georgia’s wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili in an international fraud scheme had led to “truth” being “revealed” in the dealings of the former official, whom he called an “international scammer”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the new investigation by the British public broadcaster BBC had raised suspicions that David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, was a participant in the fraudulent scheme “robbing European pensioners”.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Parliament Speaker of Georgia, on Monday said the latest claims of David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the United National Movement Government, on his alleged funding of domestic opposition groups contained “signs of political corruption”.