Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili called the opposition party Lelo – Strong Georgia a “party of swindlers” and said that this was confirmed by the Washington Arbitration Court. According to him, Lelo leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze were convicted of attempting to steal $1.5 billion – 15% of the country's budget – in the case of the construction of the Anaklia port. Earlier, Georgian and Parisian courts found them guilty of illegally appropriating $17 million from depositors of their bank.
Papuashvili expressed bewilderment why ALDE (Alliance of Liberals in Europe), which includes Lelo, has not yet commented on the situation, although it has always responded to such cases in the past. He emphasized that supporting Lelo is tantamount to complicity in fraud.
"It's strange that 4 days have already passed, and nothing has been heard from ALDE, which at other times always responded to questions about Khazaradze. Although the question is extremely simple: to what extent is it compatible with the moral standards of ALDE to have people who are defendants in a fraud case in their ranks?" Papuashvili writes.
Earlier, the Georgian Ministry of Justice confirmed that ICSID (Washington Arbitration) placed full responsibility for the failure of the Anaklia project on Khazaradze, Japaridze and their partners, finding no fault on the part of the government. Meanwhile, investor Bob Mayer, who lost the lawsuit, said that the court considered only a narrow aspect of the case and expressed disappointment with the decision. The details remain confidential.
The Lelo - Strong Georgia party itself considers the accusations in the Anaklia port construction case to be politically motivated disinformation and emphasizes that responsibility for the failure of the project lies with the authorities.
"The government is lying when it mentions Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze in connection with this arbitration. It was about the dispute between investor Bob Meyer and the government. Be that as it may, no matter how the arbitration responds... The government killed the Anaklia project... You will find the rest in the statement of the Anaklia consortium... The investors will provide explanations themselves," the party stated.
Earlier, the Lelo - Strong Georgia party announced its intention to participate in the local government elections, which will be held on October 4 this year. This position runs counter to the plans of most opposition political associations to boycott the vote.
Critics assessed the party's decision as rapprochement with the government and a readiness to legitimize the regime. In this context, UNM member Irakli Pavlenishvili said that agreeing to participate in the elections is "either an inadequate assessment of the political situation, or you put up with the system and become a systemic opposition. Because all dictators need a systemic opposition."
