Levan Makhashvili on Irakli Garibashvili’s letter: "I fail to see the connection between so-called 'shadow governance' and his criminal case. It is his own choice what kind of language he uses when addressing the public, but we would prefer concrete answers regarding his case"

"Instead of coming up with new terms and presenting them to the public, I would prefer concrete answers to the questions raised against him in the context of the criminal case," Levan Makhashvili, Chairman of the Parliament’s European Integration Committee, stated in response to the latest letter from Irakli Garibashvili.

According to him, "everything else is merely an attempt to overshadow the core questions surrounding the criminal case."

"I cannot say what connection—if any—the so-called 'shadow governance' (or whatever other terminology he chooses to use) has to his specific criminal case; I simply don't see it. Therefore, instead of coining new terms and presenting them to the public, I would prefer to see concrete answers to the questions raised against him in this specific criminal case.

Certainly, it is his prerogative—his own choice—as to how he addresses the public and what vocabulary he uses; however, we would all prefer to see specific answers regarding his criminal case. Whether it concerns allegations of corruption or other matters raised by the state, these issues require answers.

Everything else is merely an attempt to obscure the core questions surrounding his criminal case," stated Makhashvili.

For context, former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili released another letter from prison yesterday, in which he describes the decision to hold the ongoing legal proceedings against him entirely behind closed doors as "shadow justice," a "kangaroo court," and political persecution. According to the former Prime Minister, this decision by the authorities is intended to eliminate public oversight and conceal instances of psychological terror and blackmail directed against him.