Latest news with #Ivanishvili
JAMnews
17-07-2025
- Politics
- JAMnews
42 Georgian NGOs: "The government is responsible for putting the visa-free regime at risk"
Georgia: NGOs accuse authorities of risking EU visa-free access 42 Georgian non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement declaring that if the European Union suspends the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens, the responsibility will lie with the Georgian Dream government. The statement reads: 'According to reports from July 15, the EU has sent an official letter to the Georgian government regarding a possible reassessment of the visa-free regime. The letter reflects the EU's serious concern over the current situation in Georgia – democratic backsliding, violations of legal norms, and disregard for European values. We, the undersigned organizations, respond to the legitimate concerns raised by the European Union and firmly state the following: Georgian citizens earned visa-free travel not thanks to the government, but because of the efforts of society as a whole — it was a historic achievement based on the implementation of democratic reforms, respect for the rule of law, and the protection of human rights; It is obvious that the actions of the Georgian government in recent years have significantly deviated from the reforms agreed with the EU. The persecution of critical media, civil society, and political opponents poses a serious threat to the democratic future of the country and its European path; If the visa-free regime is suspended, full responsibility lies with the government, which has dismantled progress built through decades of hard work and is deliberately undermining Georgia's Western future against the will of its people. We believe this warning from the EU is a message to both the Georgian Dream government and to society: it is clear that the European family will not tolerate the rejection of democratic values. This is a final warning urging a reversal of the destructive course pulling the country away from Europe. We emphasize that Georgian NGOs — like the vast majority of Georgian society — remain unwavering supporters of Georgia's European integration. We continue to stand for the values that bind us to Europe not just on paper, but in essence — freedom, dignity, and the rule of law. We call on Ivanishvili to stop sabotaging the European choice of the Georgian people and the Georgian Constitution.' Earlier, the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission sent a letter to Georgia's Foreign Ministry requesting updated information on the country's implementation of the Commission's recommendations – or, if they have not yet been implemented, to take immediate steps to do so. In response to what it calls 'serious democratic backsliding' in Georgia, the European Commission is considering suspending visa-free travel. The letter notes that, due to the government's failure to take corrective measures, the EU already suspended visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports from Georgia as of January 2025 — a step supported by 12 EU member states. News in Georgia
Civil.ge
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Georgian Dream's Ex-Officials and Business Associates in Hot Water
Georgian Dream leaders have been ramping up anti-corruption rhetoric, but recent criminal prosecutions and legislative moves suggest the party is going through an internal purge and retributions. 'We will be fully uncompromising with corruption,' the Georgian Dream Prime Minister told the one-party parliament while presenting his annual report on June 27. The report came amid a wave of surprise resignations and barely explained reshuffles within the GD government. Kobakhidze said that 'conscientiousness' would be 'the main criterion for selecting the new team in the Georgian government.' The Georgian Dream is backing the words with laws. A legislative package is making its way through the one-party parliament, introducing what's seen as draconian measures to combat financial crime. The bill, which has cleared two readings and is expected to be adopted this fall, would bar individuals convicted of financial crimes from leaving the country for years, while also allowing authorities to recover assets from the convict's relatives and penalize others for offering minimal assistance. With this menace hanging over their heads, the Georgian Dream officials and former business associates of the party's patron, Bidzina Ivanishvili, have already found themselves in all kinds of troubles, from arrests and criminal charges to alleged abductions and even gunshot incidents. Some say Ivanishvili is going after people whom he personally suspects of misusing his money or violating trust, using captured state institutions, from parliament to prosecutors to courts, as tools. 'Ivanishvili threatens his debtors that he will not only prevent them from leaving the country, but also take everything from them and bleed them dry in poverty,' Nika Simonishvili, lawyer and former head of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, wrote on Facebook when commenting on the pending bill on July 4. The legislative package foresees changes to several laws, including the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code. Once the draft is enacted, those found guilty of financial crimes, who are yet to repay damage to the victims, will be barred from leaving the country for years, even after serving their prison or probationary terms. The bill lists specific criminal offences where the travel ban would apply, including fraud, extortion, misappropriation or embezzlement, property damage by deception, damage or destruction of property, concealment of property through fraudulent or sham transactions, abuse of power, and interference with computer data or systems for financial gain . Most of these offenses must involve damages 'in large quantities,' an aggravated circumstance under the law, for the court to impose a travel ban. A travel ban can apply unless the compensation is repaid, or the victim waives their right to compensation, or the victim consents to the lifting of the travel ban. The ban remains in effect for a period twice as long as the term required to expunge or remove the record of conviction for the respective financial crime. For example, in the case of a financial crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison, the travel ban may extend for up to 12 years following the completion of the sentence. To add to the gravity, the draft law also permits the recovery of stolen or embezzled funds not only from the offender's assets, but also from the assets of close relatives or other persons to whom the convict transferred property for free or on preferential terms following the financial offense in question, or if the assets were transferred or acquired through a transaction considered as money laundering. The bill also prohibits informal agreements aimed at alleviating the convict's lot. Fines or up to three years' imprisonment are foreseen for the convicted offender who generates undeclared revenue exceeding twice the minimum subsistence level (currently set at approximately USD 100), or acquires real estate or a vehicle through such an arrangement. Similarly, individuals, including family members, who provide such funds or property to the convict may also be subject to a fine and face up to five years in prison, with the property subject to confiscation. Transferring funds to the personal bank accounts of convicts, if the bank operates under the supervision of the Georgian central bank, or formally transferring property into their possession will still be permitted, as such assets can be seized to compensate victims The bill's introduction to Parliament came amid a wave of high-profile arrests, detentions, and controversies involving once-close associates of Georgian Dream and patron Bidzina Ivanishvili, which touched former senior officials as well as prominent businessmen. Giorgi Bachiashvili, former head of Ivanishvili's Co-Investment Fund and a close Ivanishvili associate before their fallout in 2022, was the first former associate openly targeted by Ivanishvili. He was accused by Ivanishivli of defrauding him and fled the country, facing the charges. He was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison, but was arrested in May, following an alleged abduction by senior security officials from abroad. On May 1, the Tbilisi City Court ordered Bachiashvili to repay 9,000 bitcoins, worth about USD 867 million, to Ivanishvili. Georgian Dream's Mamuka Mdinaradze confirmed the draft financial crime laws were 'inspired' by the Bachiashvili case. Next was Romeo Mikautadze, Georgia's former Deputy Economy Minister, who was arrested on June 21 by the State Security Service on charges of abuse of power and money laundering. He is accused of laundering more than GEL 2.5 million between 2017 and 2024 while holding senior public positions. The lavish lifestyle of the family of Mikautadze, known as a crony to ex-Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, has featured in several journalistic investigations before. GD Economy Minister, Levan Davitashvili, who was widely considered a competent technocrat, was also abruptly removed soon afterwards. The bizarre circumstances of the sudden arrest of Giorgi Ramishvili, an influential businessman and the founder of the sprawling Silk Road Group, who was charged with carrying a firearm in a checked-in luggage early in July, drew questions. Ramishvili and his lawyers tried to play down the case as a misunderstanding, and he was soon released on bail . Still, his arrest fuelled earlier speculation that Ivanishvili was 'calling in' money he considered to be owed to him. Soon followed another dramatic development, with Tornike Rizhvadze, former Adjara government head, who resigned in April, landing in hospital with a near-fatal gunshot to his chest on July 7. Prosecutors promptly described the incident as a suicide attempt, while pro-GD media circulated Rizhvadze's 'note' where the ex-official allegedly said he faced accusations of 'corruption and protecting drug dealers,' and appealed to Bidzina Ivanishvili and Irakli Kobakhidze to protect his family. Aleksi Akhvlediani, who served as the head of the Maritime Transport Agency, was briefly detained in the incident over negligent storage of firearms but was released by the court on bail. In 2015, Nika Gvaramia, then executive of the Rustavi-2 TV and now a detained opposition party leader, claimed that Akhvlediani was acting as a 'middleman,' passing him the messages 'from the government' to yield control of the TV station. Rizhvadze's incident followed earlier allegations circulated by Levan Khabeishvili, former chairman of the opposition United National Movement party, who claimed that a former official had fallen out of favor with Bidzina Ivanishvili and was expected to 'repay' over USD 100 million to Ivanishvili. Khabeishvili argued that other former and current officials had found themselves in similarly precarious positions, including Grigol Liluashvili, the former head of the State Security Service, who resigned in April; ex-Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who announced his departure from politics the same month; and Tbilisi's incumbent mayor, Kakha Kaladze. Author: Gigi Kobakhidze/
Civil.ge
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Prosecutors Charge Businessman Giorgi Ramishvili with Illegally Carrying Firearm
The Prosecutor's Office on July 7 charged Giorgi Ramishvili, a prominent Georgian businessman and founder of the Silk Road Group, with illegally carrying a firearm, a criminal offense punishable by four to seven years in prison. Ramishvili was detained a day earlier, with police reporting that law enforcers seized a firearm, a magazine, and cartridges while examining his hand luggage through a scanner at the departures terminal of Tbilisi International Airport. 'The defendant was found to have in his carry-on luggage a 9mm caliber 'WALTHER PPK/S' model firearm, registered to him for possession, along with a magazine and seven rounds of 9mm caliber live ammunition, which he was carrying illegally,' the Prosecutor's Office said , as it has requested Ramishvili's pretrial detention pending the final verdict. Following his arrest, the Silk Road Group urged in a statement 'all interested parties to refrain from spreading unverified information,' noting that 'relevant legal procedures are underway.' Ramishvili's lawyer, Irma Chkadua, rejected any political motives behind the case, describing the incident as an 'unforeseen mistake.' 'He [Ramishvili] does not link the detention to anything. What should he be linking to? This incident has absolutely no connection to politics,' Chkadua told TV Pirveli , adding that Ramishvili will himself provide additional details. The report of Ramishvili's arrest comes amid what is seen as mounting pressure on current and former figures in political and business circles close to the ruling Georgian Dream party and its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Former Deputy Economy Minister Romeo Mikautadze was arrested in June on corruption-related charges, facing up to 12 years in prison. Earlier, Ivanishvili's former associate Giorgi Bachiashvili, convicted in absentia for allegedly misappropriating cryptocurrency, was arrested after what Bachiashvili argued was his abduction from a foreign land with the direct involvement of State Security Service Head Anri Okhanashvili. In May, the court sentenced businessman Giorgi Chikvaidze and his associate to eight and nine years in prison, respectively, on charges of embezzling funds. Several high-ranking officials, including ministers known to have enjoyed Ivanishvili's trust, left their posts over the past few months. Today, July 7, Tornike Rizhvadze, the former head of the Adjara government, was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. Pro-government media described the incident as a suicide attempt, but critics expressed skepticism about this account. Coincidentally, the Georgian Dream-dominated parliament is pushing through a legislative package that would bar individuals convicted of financial crimes from leaving the country, even after they have served their sentence. The legislation, which has passed two readings and is expected to be adopted during the fall session, introduces radical measures to recover embezzled or stolen funds, including from the convict's relatives. It also restricts others from providing financial assistance to the offender on pain of criminal prosecution. This legislation is believed to serve Ivanishvili's drive to punish those, including former business or party associates, whom he suspects of misusing his funds and breaching trust. Two days before Ramishvili's arrest, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held a meeting with businesspeople. According to the official press release , the meeting touched on 'positive trends in the country's economy and the high economic growth pace.' Also Read:
Civil.ge
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Businessman Giorgi Ramishvili Arrested Over Carrying 'Firearm' in Airport
Giorgi Ramishvili, a prominent Georgian businessman and founder of the Silk Road Group, was arrested on July 6, with police claiming he was carrying a firearm in his hand luggage at the departures terminal of Tbilisi International Airport. Law enforcement officers 'seized a firearm, a magazine, and cartridges while examining [Ramishvili's] hand luggage through a scanner,' the Georgian Interior Ministry reported late on July 6, hours after initial reports of his arrest. According to the Ministry, the firearm was registered in Ramishvili's name, but he did not hold a license to carry it. The investigation has been launched under Parts 3 and 4 of Article 236 of the Criminal Code, which concern the illegal carrying and transportation of firearms and ammunition and carry a penalty of up to nine years in prison. Silk Road Group brings together several major companies, including Silknet, a leading local communications provider. Silknet has also introduced international media products to Georgia, including a Georgian broadcast of Euronews and the publication of a local version of the National Geographic magazine. The report of Ramishvili's arrest comes amid what is seen as mounting pressure on current and former figures in political and business circles close to the ruling Georgian Dream party and its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Former Deputy Economy Minister Romeo Mikautadze was arrested in June on corruption-related charges, facing up to 12 years in prison. Earlier, Ivanishvili's former associate Giorgi Bachiashvili, convicted in absentia for allegedly misappropriating cryptocurrency, was arrested after what Bachiashvili argued was his abduction from a foreign land with the direct involvement of State Security Service Head Anri Okhanashvili. In May, the court sentenced businessman Giorgi Chikvaidze and his associate to eight and nine years in prison, respectively, on charges of embezzling funds Several high-ranking officials, including ministers known to have enjoyed Ivanishvili's trust, left their posts over the past few months. Coincidentally, the Georgian Dream-dominated parliament is pushing through a legislative package that would bar individuals convicted of financial crimes from leaving the country, even after they have served their sentence. The legislation, which has passed two readings and is expected to be adopted during the fall session, introduces radical measures to recover embezzled or stolen funds, including from the convict's relatives. It also prohibits those relatives from providing financial assistance to the offender on pain of criminal prosecution. This legislation is believed to serve Ivanishvili's drive to punish those, including former business associates, whom he suspects of misusing his funds and breaching trust. Two days before Ramishvili's arrest, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held a meeting with businesspeople. According to the official press release , the meeting touched on 'positive trends in the country's economy and the high economic growth pace.' Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia's fifth president, linked Ramishvili's arrest with broader Georgian Dream repression. 'After activists, journalists, political leaders, the arrests are now turning to big business! Today's most recent case is that of George Ramishvili, owner of a major internet provider, founder of Euronews Georgia and an old-time business partner of Zurabishvili wrote on X . More to follow….
Civil.ge
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Lelo/Strong Georgia to Run in October Local Elections
The Strong Georgia coalition, led by the opposition Lelo for Georgia party, announced on July 5 that it will take part in the October 4 local elections, an issue that has been a point of contention among Georgian opposition parties. 'October 4 is to fight against de facto authorities in de facto elections,' Strong Georgia said in its statement. 'We are entering the battle. We are entering another resistance against dictatorship and the Russian regime.' While the announcement comes a day after Georgian Dream President Mikheil Kavelashvili said he was ready to pardon currently jailed political leaders if they pledged to run in October elections, Strong Georgia said the announcement was planned before Kavelashvili's statement, which the coalition said was a political maneuver intended to obstruct their plans. Two leaders of the coalition, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, are among eight persons, including six active political leaders, who are currently in jail after being sentenced to months in prison for defying the summonses of the Tsulukiani Commission, a body in the Georgian Dream's one-party parliament that is probing alleged crimes by former officials. 'Precisely to get in the way, precisely because [Bidzina] Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream are afraid that the pro-Western opposition will get in this battle, Ivanishvili's president staged yesterday the masquerade that we saw,' the coalition said. 'The only way we have today against Ivanishvili's Russian-Oligarchic regime is to fight! To fight in every possible direction and on every possible field.' Two members of Lelo's Political Council, Saba Buadze and Dea Metreveli, have dissented from the party's opinion and announced through social media posts that they are stepping down from the governing body, but will remain party members. Eight opposition parties earlier pledged to boycott the elections, which, coming amid Georgian Dream's growing crackdown on dissent, they described as a 'facade.' For Georgia party, led by ex-GD Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, has also repeatedly expressed determination to run in the upcoming local elections, although the party is yet to make an official announcement. Gakharia is currently staying abroad as he is under the Tsulukiani Commission investigation over the Chorchana checkpoint episode . The Strong Georgia coalition was formed around Lelo ahead of the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections to boost the chances of surpassing the 5% threshold in the first fully proportional vote. It united four political forces, two of which—Freedom Square and Anna Dolidze's For People—quit the alliance after the elections. The coalition has boycotted the GD parliament formed after the 2024 election. This post is also available in: ქართული
