“When a team, in this case, no matter how politically difficult it may be, does not shield clearly identified cases of corruption or violations of the law, this is precisely the responsibility of Georgian Dream toward the state and state interests,” said Georgian Dream MP Irakli Kadagishvili to journalists, commenting on the arrest of former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

According to him, when a solid body of evidence regarding corruption allegations was established, the relevant decisions were made by law enforcement and judicial authorities.

“We must understand what responsibility means. When a team, even if it is politically very difficult, does not cover up evident cases of corruption or violations of the law, this is exactly Georgian Dream’s responsibility toward the state and its interests.

When we are talking about corruption allegations against an official, there must be solid grounds and a body of evidence. Once such a solid body of evidence was established, the relevant decisions were subsequently taken by law enforcement and the judiciary,” Kadagishvili said.

When asked whether the party’s founder and honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili, bears responsibility, Kadagishvili replied that it is everyone’s responsibility to minimize corruption cases, including those involving high-ranking state officials.

“One thing is what your objective is, another is the objective of the state. The state’s objective is for Georgia to be a country free of corruption. We rank 20th in international ratings, and the declared goal is to be among the top three. Accordingly, it is everyone’s responsibility to minimize corruption cases, including those linked to high-level state officials. This is our common policy - including Ivanishvili’s.

All over the world, when corruption cases are uncovered, there is a response. This is exactly what happened in Georgia.

As many cases as there are, and where there is relevant legal evidence, there will be a response based on that evidence - not according to a ‘series,’ as you put it,” Kadagishvili stated.

For reference, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia reached a plea agreement with former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. He was sentenced to five years in prison. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Garibashvili was also fined 1 million GEL as an additional penalty, and funds obtained through criminal activity, seized during a search of his residence, will be confiscated.