The former leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party and ex-Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, currently imprisoned on corruption charges, has published a letter. In it, the politician claims that his former teammate Mamuka Mdinaradze demanded that he plead guilty to a new corruption charge.
“I want to tell the public the truth about why I am in prison. The main goal of the so-called ‘anti-corruption campaign’ launched last year was to place me in custody and destroy me politically. I state with full responsibility: I did everything possible to avoid confrontation with the team and a person who is dear to me. It was for this exact purpose that I gave up the legal fight and meekly endured this destructive process, so as not to damage the interests of the state and the team.
Unfortunately, in return I received a dirty, staged provocation, and a flood of lies and injustice. Throughout this entire time, the public has not heard a single word from me. I accepted this ordeal with utter humility and patience.
However, completely unexpectedly for me, in July I received a letter (which I made public yesterday) sent by Mamuka Mdinaradze. That very day, I communicated my position to him, reiterating that I had no intention of returning to politics, and offered my own vision to neutralize this ‘risk.’ But in response, I was told that there was still a 1% probability of my return to politics, and to eliminate it, it was necessary to bring a corruption charge against me followed by my confession.
This was the red line that forced me to take the most difficult step in my life. Accordingly, since I have no other choice left, I am being forced to fight…,” the statement reads.
As a reminder, Irakli Garibashvili issued his first address the day before, stating that “from this day forward, full responsibility for his safety and the safety of his family rests on Bidzina Ivanishvili and the entire government.” The former prime minister promised to publish an expanded letter on August 18.