Georgian Prosecutor's Office launches investigation on election “falsification” following election body request after President’s claim

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia on Wednesday said it had launched an investigation into claims of “falsification” of Saturday’s parliamentary elections, after the Central Election Commission of the country asked the body for an inquiry following claims by President Salome Zourabichvili and other political figures.

Zourabichvili and four domestic opposition parties that have overcome the five percent electoral threshold in the elections on Monday dismissed the results as “rigged”. She also told the CNN the ruling Georgian Dream party had “used IDs taken from citizens seven times, 10 times, 17 times” during the voting.

The Office said the President had been summoned to the investigative agency for an interview on Thursday, saying the CEC statement and information released through the media had indicated Zourabichvili was “believed to possess evidence regarding possible falsification”.

The Prosecution Service of Georgia will conduct all necessary investigative and procedural actions to study the facts raised in the CEC's statement, as well as those mentioned by the President of Georgia, certain political parties, and representatives of election observation missions.  [As part of this,] all individuals who may have information regarding the alleged offence will be interviewed”, the release said.

The Office also noted the country’s law enforcement agencies had been “actively investigating multiple criminal cases” related to specific offences identified during the pre-election period and on election day, and added the Service would provide “periodic updates” on the results of the investigation.

The CEC on Tuesday rejected Zourabichvili’s claims on the elections having been subject of fraud, claiming she was “inciting mistrust in the public toward [voting] technologies” by using“groundless, non-argumentative and false accusations” in interviews she had given to domestic and international media outlets and in public speeches.

The Commission also said the President was “trying to discredit the election administration, which has organised the most important elections at the highest level, at the international level”.