"Georgian history has never seen such an unseemly Minister of Culture—this woman has dragged the entire 'Georgian Dream' team through the mud and, along with her patron Mdinaradze, has betrayed 'Georgian Dream'! Mdinaradze was her patron—no one has ever gotten away with such things, and neither this woman nor her patron should get away with it," Davit Okitashvili, head of the Chamber of Culture, stated in an interview with the TV channel PalitraNews.

Regarding a Facebook post he published on October 14—in which he appealed to the Prosecutor's Office to investigate the expenses incurred for the funeral of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II—Okitashvili noted that he expects the Prosecutor's Office to launch an investigation.

According to Okitashvili, the public has a right to know "where this lady took these funds."

"No one from the Prosecutor's Office has contacted me. I have been active in the cultural sector for over 30 years. As a representative of the cultural sphere and the public, I simply asked questions—questions that the Georgian population has been asking for the past 4–5 months. I did not make any definitive assertions. In this country, the Ministry of Culture defines cultural policy; as someone from this field, I have a right to know whether or not these actions were committed!

As for where I—Okitashvili—was back when Rukhadze was Minister, and why I didn't speak up then—I chose to hold back in order to protect people whom these individuals would have otherwise destroyed, ruined, or even devastated—families and all—by leaving them without a livelihood. I spoke up when the time was right—only after learning, just two or three days ago, about the terrible things this woman had been doing—not just to me, but to other cultural workers as well. The time will come when cultural workers themselves will speak out!

Georgian history has never seen such an outrageous Minister of Culture! For three whole years, we were completely ignored. We had certain projects... We kept submitting requests. Finally, they told us: "You’re wasting your effort; we will never provide funding for Dato Okitashvili." I sent word to her several times, but she never replied. At the Ministry, she would scream and shout: "I don't want to see Okitashvili here!" She also forbade prominent figures in the cultural sector from interacting with me. The time will come when these people will speak for themselves!

The final straw came two days ago—that’s when I found out what happened, and that’s why I wrote what I wrote! Even if I weren't involved in the cultural sector, as an ordinary citizen of Georgia, I have a right to know—and they owe us an answer—as to where this lady took those funds!

This woman has dragged the entire Georgian Dream team through the mud; she—along with her "Mdinaradze"—betrayed Georgian Dream! Mdinaradze was her patron.

She used to say: "You can't touch me—I’ve got 'Mamu' looking out for me!" When we tried to figure out who this mysterious "Mamu" was, it turned out to be Mamuka Mdinaradze. When people turn out to be traitors, it is the greatest crime and the greatest misfortune. They have caused immense damage to their own team! The person who nominated this woman as Minister of Culture must be held accountable—and that person was Mamuka Mdinaradze!

One shouldn't kick a person when they are down, but she deserves even worse; so, let us await the investigation by the Prosecutor's Office! You will hear a great deal from people in the arts. Neither this woman nor her patron should get away with this—she deserves worse," stated Davit Okitashvili.