The lawyer of former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Natia Tamazashvili, confirms that Garibashvili’s next statement will probably be published today, by the end of the day.

Tamazashvili visited Garibashvili today at the penitentiary institution. As she noted to journalists, the former prime minister’s struggle is expressed only in the defence of his family and himself.

“We should expect a statement; he already has it prepared for publication. At this stage I cannot tell you anything additional. Today, probably [there will be a statement]; I cannot tell you anything in advance.

I cannot go into details; the only thing I can tell you is that Irakli’s so-called struggle is expressed only in the defence of his family and himself,” Natia Tamazashvili stated.

For information, former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili says in a statement published on social media that the main goal of the so-called “fight against corruption” campaign was to put him in prison and destroy him politically.

As Garibashvili writes in his message, he has no other way left and is forced to start a struggle.

“I want to tell the public the truth about why I am sitting in prison. The main goal of the so-called ‘fight against corruption’ campaign that started last year was to put me in prison and destroy me politically. With full responsibility I declare that I did everything to avoid entering into confrontation with the team and with a person dear to me. Precisely for this purpose I refused a legal struggle and followed to the end a process that was destructive for me, so as not to harm the interests of the state and the team.

Unfortunately, in return I received a staged dirty provocation, many lies and injustice. The public has not heard a single word from me throughout this entire time. I accepted this ordeal with complete patience.

But unexpectedly for me, in July I received the letter I published yesterday, which was sent to me by Mamuka Mdinaradze. On the same day I made my position known to him, once again recorded that I did not intend to return to politics, and for the purpose of hedging the mentioned ‘risk’ I offered my vision. But in response they calculated for me that a 1% risk still remained that I would return to politics, and for this it was necessary to bring a corruption charge against me and for me to confess to it.

This was the red line that made me take the most difficult step in my life. Accordingly, since I have no other way out, they are forcing me to start a struggle…,” the letter states.