The leader of the parliamentary majority of the Georgian Dream party, Irakli Kirskhalia, calls on former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who is currently imprisoned, to answer the question of where he amassed “personal assets worth millions.”

In a Facebook post concerning Garibashvili’s letter, Kirskhalia writes that instead of answering the question and “repenting for his crime,” the former prime minister “chose to boast about his own achievements, which have been grossly overstated.”

“Yesterday, another letter from Irakli Garibashvili was circulated, in which he offered us something new.

Unlike his previous statements, which focused on the treacherous but nonexistent trap allegedly set for him and on his imprisonment, the new letter was devoted entirely to his contributions to the country. Garibashvili mentions the Georgian Dream team only formally and attributes to himself every success our country achieved during his second term as prime minister. Of course, one could also engage in a discussion regarding the facts interpreted in an extremely subjective manner by Irakli Garibashvili and demonstrate their actual significance through an objective analysis of events. However, such an absurd polemic is of little interest to society. Everyone knows everything very well, and naturally, we do not intend to engage in such a discussion.

Our political team, as well as Georgian society as a whole, has only one question for Irakli Garibashvili, which he has been avoiding for a long time. Unlike his meaningless letters, a comprehensive answer to this question would genuinely be interesting and would finally shed light on how he amassed personal assets worth millions of lari, which he himself admitted were acquired illegally and for which he ended up in prison.

That is why I want to address Irakli Garibashvili: instead of repenting for your own crime, which, I repeat, you yourself admitted, and answering the question that was put to you, you chose to boast before the Georgian people about your achievements, which have been grossly exaggerated. It is regrettable that someone who was once one of the leaders of our team and the prime minister of the country has fallen to this level and come to resemble yet another figure who has become a subject of ridicule.

Yes, you went down Saakashvili’s path, despite the numerous documented cases of illegality committed by him, while he still shamelessly insists that he is innocent. He calls the squandering of 9 million belonging to the people the ‘jackets case,’ and, just like you, he amassed assets worth millions while refusing to discuss their origins. What is more, you have come to closely resemble Saakashvili, who constantly talks about his own achievements and effectively claims credit for founding a new Georgia, speaks only about his own role, and reproaches the Georgian people for making him serve the punishment he supposedly deserves today instead of appreciating his ‘contribution.’

I sincerely wish that in your next letter, which I suspect will be published in your name very soon, you will finally stop exaggerating and boasting about your achievements as though you built Georgia. The only genuinely interesting thing you can do is answer your former political team and the Georgian people: where did you amass personal assets worth millions? However, judging by the recent content and direction of your statements, there is a much greater chance that you will continue down the ‘Saakashvili path’ and, this time, present yourself as the father of modern Georgia,” Kirskhalia said.

For reference, former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has published another letter on social media in which he discusses the circumstances under which he returned to the position of prime minister in 2021. In particular, the former prime minister writes about his period in office from 2021 to 2024, recalling the economic and political results achieved during his tenure and asking the public whether the situation in the country improved or deteriorated after his departure. In his lengthy statement, the former prime minister focuses on the crisis that followed Giorgi Gakharia’s resignation, double-digit economic growth, foreign-policy achievements, and Georgia obtaining EU candidate status. He also says that former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia committed “betrayal.”