“For me, this is the ‘Cronus paradigm’ - the feeding of one’s own children. It is a kind of sacrifice to power, a demonstration that [Bidzina] Ivanishvili is ready for anything, even to kill his own children, to retain power,” - said Tazo Datunashvili, one of the leaders of Lelo - Strong Georgia, on Palitranews’ program Resume, commenting on the arrest of former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

According to Datunashvili, the charges against Garibashvili are not the real reason for his imprisonment. The opposition politician suggested that initially, Ivanishvili did not intervene openly, but when Garibashvili and his circle’s “appetite grew” and they acquired incomes unknown to Ivanishvili, action was taken.

“One aspect is personal political revenge, and another is a catastrophic, almost apocalyptic precedent - when you accept a plea deal, it implies you admit guilt in everything you are accused of. One part concerns embezzlement and money cases, the other part concerns the protection of a syndicate where a security chief was stealing money from children, his minister - his relative - was stealing from soldiers, and this hell is considered normal. And when a ‘kind man’ discovers this after thirteen years, such events do not settle easily in society.

We all understand that this specific episode has nothing to do with the Garibashvilis’ property issues, or some property registered under Tariel’s name. This is not the reason he is in prison. There is no legal process in Georgia.

All of this was happening quietly under Ivanishvili’s watch, but the appetite of these people grew during this period, and there were some incomes that were hidden from Ivanishvili, from which he did not receive a share.

Meanwhile, over ten years, due to endemic corruption, irresponsible and foolish policy, and this unrestrained greed of Ivanishvili and his associates, the prices of bread for Georgian citizens doubled, meat tripled, and prices of basic consumer goods increased dramatically, making life unbearable. By December 2025, prices reached a historical maximum and a catastrophic level,” - Tazo Datunashvili said.