Irakli Kobakhidze – If you believe Mamuka Mdinaradze left politics because of what Gharibashvili said, that is your problem; everyone must realize that no one can cover up corruption with letters
When asked by a journalist whether Gharibashvili had caused discomfort for the government with his statements, Kobakhidze remarked that "discomfort" is what arises when a prime minister ends up in prison on corruption charges.
Responding to another question about whether he sees a prospect for Gharibashvili’s return to politics, Kobakhidze stated that when a direct act of corruption is involved, there is absolutely no basis for such a return. "Of course, Gharibashvili caused discomfort for our team when he had to go to prison on corruption charges. That is the discomfort he caused the team, and naturally, it would have been better had he not engaged in such activities in the past. Naturally, there would have been less discomfort in that case.
Corruption is a very bad thing; when a person faces corruption charges and those charges are substantiated, one cannot simply wash that away with statements and letters. Everyone must be mindful of their past and must realize that corruption is wrong.
Many people have started talking and issuing statements, but the government as a whole operates so cleanly that none of these attempts have been followed by any success—the team, under the leadership of Bidzina Ivanishvili, works with great integrity," stated Irakli Kobakhidze.
When asked by a journalist whether the legal liability of Irakli Gharibashvili and Grigol Liluashvili should translate into political liability, Kobakhidze stated that as soon as problems were identified, action was taken. “It took time to achieve this. I assumed the office of Prime Minister one month after the party congress where Bidzina Ivanishvili made a statement regarding corruption risks. From that moment, it took us another year and five months to fully examine the situation and organize affairs within the team. Today, we can confidently state that corruption at the high levels of government has been completely eradicated. We often challenge our opponents to produce even a single instance of corruption involving any minister—promising an immediate response—yet they have failed to present any such evidence,” stated Irakli Kobakhidze.
