The lawyer for former Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili believes that the corruption charges brought against him are designed to reduce the ex-premier’s ratings to zero. According to Lili Gelashvili, despite being in custody, the politician retained considerable authority, which is allegedly why the criminal proceedings were launched.
Speaking on TV Pirveli, the lawyer expressed conviction that Garibashvili’s strong standing was revealed by internal polls conducted by the ruling party. She argued that this was the exact reason “Georgian Dream” demanded that he plead guilty to corruption and abandon any thoughts of returning to politics once and for all.
“He led the country twice. You know the kind of foreign policy pursued during his time as prime minister, how many new initiatives were launched, including in relations with Europe… All of this is associated with the name of Irakli Garibashvili. Naturally, he had high ratings, and I do not rule out that he maintains them to this day.
Furthermore, if anyone tries to claim the opposite, I simply will not believe that such surveys [by Georgian Dream] were not carried out. For certain individuals, everything became obvious. Even while behind bars, Irakli Garibashvili retained influence and authority. People might have felt bitter, but the public clearly understood the main point: if you don’t steal budget funds… It was clear to everyone that he betrayed neither the country nor Bidzina Ivanishvili, and did not steal a single tetri from the state treasury.”
Lili Gelashvili maintains that the authorities decided to “cement his [Irakli Garibashvili’s] status as corrupt in order to wipe out his ratings and, just to be safe, strip him of even a 1% ghost of a chance of returning to politics.”
In her conversation with TV Pirveli, the lawyer also called on the Public Defender of Georgia (Ombudsman) to visit the ex-prime minister in prison and verify whether his scheduled visit with his children had indeed been canceled. According to her, this incident may point to a violation of human rights.
“A extended visit was scheduled for August 26. He was supposed to see his minor children—which was the entire purpose, as he had not seen them for three months—yet this visit was canceled. He was informed that the meeting would not take place. How can the fact of a canceled, pre-arranged visit be a lie? Verifying this is not difficult at all.”
Earlier, the Special Penitentiary Service stated that Garibashvili, who is serving his sentence in a closed-type facility, is entitled to two extended visits per year, as well as two short-term visits per month. According to the agency, the former prime minister has currently fully exhausted both his annual and monthly visitation allowances.
