He made this statement on PalitraNews’ program "Resume" while commenting on the arrest of the former Deputy Minister of Health, Ilia Ghudadushauri.

According to Donadze, if the investigation proceeds correctly, the next person to be detained and brought to court should be the former minister Zurab Azarashvili, because Ghudadushauri could not have been involved in such a large-scale corruption scheme on his own.

"Under normal investigative conditions, the next person who should be detained and brought before the court is former minister Zurab Azarashvili, because one Ilia Ghudadushauri alone could not have embezzled this money. You cannot simply take money from the state treasury without having accomplices in a company or in the office.

In addition, the specific tender in question was worth approximately 30 million GEL and was meant to procure emergency medical service vehicles. Public sources show how these procurements were advertised, how vehicles were supposed to be acquired, and how regions and Tbilisi were prioritized. When emergency services are delayed, it means there aren’t enough vehicles. In the regions, there might be only one ambulance, and people are left waiting.

Through this corruption scheme, Ghudadushauri, Azarashvili, and others involved in it put people’s lives at risk. The embezzlement itself is not the tragedy - the real issue is what service the public was deprived of.

If the investigation is conducted properly, Azarashvili should be next, because otherwise, it makes no sense. International funds were involved, it was a tender conducted with international standards, and many vehicles were supposed to be procured for different regions. Azarashvili was very well aware of this.

It is also important to understand how the money was embezzled. Ghudadushauri could not have directly withdrawn money from the treasury and deposited it into his account. The money first went to the contractor company’s account. The contractor company had to either willingly participate in the corrupt scheme or be pressured into it. As a state official, Ghudadushauri could misuse his powers to pressure the company during the tender, creating artificial obstacles. Then the company might agree to transfer some money to him. In no scenario could Ghudadushauri have directly taken this money from the treasury. The first transfer was to the contractor company, and only after that did the money reach the officials’ pockets.

It should also be noted that the owners of this company are significant donors to the “Georgian Dream” party. Businesses do not donate from their profits for free - this is the money embezzled from the budget and later used to fund the party. That is exactly why fighting this corruption has a political dimension."