There is a charge, a legal process, and it requires a legal response. Transferring this into the political realm shows that the legal positions are usually weak, — Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told journalists, responding to another letter from former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili.

According to him, speculation is taking place around the suicide of human rights defender Lazare Jorbenadze, and he stated that “I would not wish for anyone that other people’s personal tragedies are used for political insinuations.”

“In general, it is regrettable that a legal issue is being transferred into the political realm. I would prefer that legal answers be given to a legal issue, or to the legal claims that the prosecution or the investigation has. We have seen attempts to transfer this into the political realm at various times, but this brings no results. There are legal issues, a charge brought by the prosecutor’s office. This charge needs a response. I think everything else — political insinuations — is superfluous.

In general, I would not wish for anyone that other people’s personal tragedies are used for political insinuations. We know who uses these methods, and for years we have grown used to various tragedies being used — whether suicide or other kinds. As for the person who ended his life by suicide — leaving everything else aside, I think his soul should still be respected and the person should be allowed to rest in peace,” Papuashvili said.

Furthermore, according to the Parliament Speaker, “the fact that the radical opposition is trying to gain political benefit from these statements shows that Irakli Gharibashvili has chosen the wrong path.”

“We have just seen that the radical opposition is trying to speculate. They have neither the ability to do anything nor to spoil anything. They are absolutely zeroed out. If something good is done, they try to claim credit for it themselves, because they cannot do anything good themselves. If someone tries to spoil something, they try to ‘hitch a ride’ on that spoiling. Today the entire activity and agenda of the opposition is to look at others — to ‘hitch a ride’ on the good and to intensify the bad even more,” Papuashvili noted.

As for the suicide attempt by the former head of the Adjara government, Tornike Rizhvadze — the Parliament Speaker notes that he himself explained why he reached that decision.

“Fortunately, this attempt was unsuccessful, however, he had also written a letter and had explained why he reached that decision. All these insinuations have answers; there is no circumstance related to any of these issues that is shrouded in fog or unclear,” Papuashvili stated.

For reference: Former Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili published another letter from prison, in which he mentions his former teammates — Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Mamuka Mdinaradze, who a few days ago announced his departure from politics.

Gharibashvili says that society is already convinced that the letter he published, which according to him was sent to him by his former teammate Mamuka Mdinaradze, is genuine and that the facts named in it correspond to the truth.

According to the former prime minister, Mamuka Mdinaradze “made such serious and crude mistakes in this matter that this caused not only his removal from office, but also his departure from politics.”

“However, I want to inform the public of my position: Mdinaradze’s withdrawal from politics cannot erase the heaviest and irreparable damage inflicted on the country, on people, and on ‘Georgian Dream’ with the participation of him and Irakli Kobakhidze,” the former prime minister notes.

Also, in his lengthy letter Irakli Gharibashvili asks the question, “What was the real reason for the death of human rights defender Lazare Jorbenadze?” and says that in society “to this day unanswered questions remain regarding the suicide of several people that took place during the Kobakhidze–Mdinaradze rule.”

In addition, according to Papuashvili’s statement, it is “an unserious attitude” that “the initiation of a case against Gharibashvili is linked to a high rating.”

He also answered a journalist’s question about when “Georgian Dream” conducted an internal party survey and whether Irakli Gharibashvili’s rating has increased.

According to the Parliament Speaker, after the letters published by Irakli Gharibashvili, the party has not conducted an internal party survey.

“[Internal party surveys] are conducted periodically. What is measured and how is a matter of internal research. There was a statement by a lawyer regarding ratings, that as a rule they conduct a survey and they probably conducted one. They themselves say ‘probably’ and then draw conclusions. Such an attitude is unserious in general, especially regarding such issues,” Papuashvili stated.