President’s refusal to testify to Prosecutor’s Office means “she has nothing to say” over alleged election irregularities - PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday said President Salome Zourabichvili’s refusal to testify to the country’s Prosecutor’s Office regarding claims of alleged irregularities in last month’s general elections was “already a statement [she] had nothing to say for the investigation”.

In his interview with the PosTV channel, Kobakhidze addressed the “empty accusations [from the President] without any grounds” regarding the parliamentary elections.

“The US State Department urged her [the President] to cooperate with the investigation and to give testimony, but she had to refuse even that, as she would be embarrassed if she went to the Prosecutor’s Office [...] without any facts or evidence”, he noted.

The PM added Zourabichvili “can not cooperate with the Prosecutor's Office, because she sought to avoid “reputational problem”.

Kobakhidze's comments came after the body summoned the President and the opposition political leaders for interviews as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged criminal violations in last month’s parliamentary elections.