Bera Ivanishvili, the son of Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgian Dream, is responding to allegations against him and plans to take legal action. Bera Ivanishvili published a statement on social media.

According to Bera Ivanishvili, a coordinated defamatory campaign has been conducted against him and his family for years, which is why he has turned to lawyer David Asatiani to protect his rights.

Bera Ivanishvili describes the campaign against him, including allegations that he is protecting so-called call centers, as an orchestrated campaign of lies.

Specifically, he says that recently certain media outlets and individuals have been actively circulating claims that he protects so-called call centers, that certain people are being arrested on his instructions, that he enters into illegal deals, and so on. In his view, these claims contain clear signs of an attempt at defamation. However, according to Bera Ivanishvili, no one has presented even a single fact to substantiate these alleged claims.

He believes that under these circumstances, turning to the courts is not an act of revenge against anyone, but a means of protecting his dignity and rights.

According to Bera Ivanishvili, he wants the defamatory attacks against him to receive a legal assessment and, if the court establishes that defamation has occurred, the relevant individuals to be held accountable in accordance with the law.

“Hello everyone. For years, society has been watching a campaign of discrediting and defamation against me and my family by certain forces. From time to time, I have been accused of all kinds of vile things, but recently such cases have become particularly frequent. Throughout this time, I believed that it was not worth wasting time on such absurdities or giving them any serious response. However, the continuous and baseless attacks taking place on social media and in the media, which are part of a well-planned, coordinated campaign, can no longer go without a response from me. I have become convinced that leaving a flood of lies and vile allegations unanswered has become a kind of incentive for the people directing this process.

That is why I want to inform the public that I have turned to a highly competent lawyer, a true professional in his field, David Asatiani. With his assistance, I will seek a legal response to each of the vile and defamatory allegations made against me.

I would like to remind you that recently certain media outlets and individuals have been actively circulating claims that I protect so-called ‘call centers,’ that certain people are being arrested on my instructions, that I enter into illegal deals, and so on. Even merely raising questions about such matters is enough to reveal clear signs of an attempt at defamation. However, the aforementioned actors go further and present information about my alleged criminal activities as established fact, without anyone having presented even a single piece of evidence to substantiate this absurdity.

Instead, in reports filled with sensational headlines and provocative texts, they use so-called anonymous sources to create an appearance of credibility - unidentified people sitting with their backs to the camera in dark rooms, with no identifying features whatsoever, as well as obscure audio messages whose authenticity cannot be established.

I believe that under these circumstances, turning to the courts is not an act of revenge against anyone, but a means of protecting my dignity and rights. I want the defamatory attacks against me to receive a legal assessment and, if the court establishes that defamation has occurred, the people responsible for all of this to be held accountable in accordance with the law.

I am asking only for justice and for the truth to be established, including so that neither I nor anyone else will have to endure such injustice again in the future,” Bera Ivanishvili wrote.