U.S. Treasury Department sanctions Bidzina Ivanishvili

According to international partners, Georgia maintains the position of a safe country against the backdrop of terrorist challenges, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) reported. The SSG chaired the 8th meeting of the permanent inter-agency commission, which monitors the implementation of the national strategy and the action plan in the fight against terrorism. SSG Head Grigol Liluashvili opened the meeting. He spoke about the counter-terrorism situation in the world, region and the country stressing Georgia’s efforts and successful cooperation with the international community. Liluashvili touched on the 2024 international report Global Terrorism Index of Peace Institute based on which Georgia maintains the position of a safe country in the context of terrorist challenges. The inter-agency commission was established based on the decree of the Georgian government and aims to define Georgia’s united policy in the fight against terrorism, to reduce and prevent threats facing the country and to contribute to the coordinated activities of state structures.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, had already been subject to informal sanctions “due to his refusal to abandon the country’s national interests.” According to the Prime Minister, “nothing has actually changed with today’s decision.”“Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili was already under de facto sanctions and he was blackmailed for three years with almost formal sanctions. Now this basis for blackmail has also been removed. You know what challenges faced the country in 2022, as well as what they demanded from the team, specifically from Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, and precisely because he did not oppose our country’s fundamental, key interests, de facto sanctions were first imposed, and now, in the end, a decision with no substantive meaning was made. With this decision, they finally removed the blackmail instrument from their hands. For the past three years, the Global War Party has been doing just this. I am hopeful that things will shift in the other direction. However, nothing has changed; I recently spoke with Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, who maintains the same viewpoint. Nothing extraordinary. Bidzina Ivanishvili was subjected to de facto sanctions for three years merely for serving the interests of his country. They have already issued the statutory punishment. Nothing special, in fact, this is a reward for protecting the national interests of our country,” the PM stated. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed financial sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream ruling party.

U.S. Helsinki Commission said, “Today, the Biden administration announced sanctions against Ivanishvili for his leading role in dragging Georgia towards Russia and Russian-style autocracy.”“The American people stand with Georgians in their ongoing struggle to save their country from Ivanishvili’s tyranny. For years, bipartisan members of the Helsinki Commission have sounded the alarm about Bidzina Ivanishvili’s corruption and coordinated efforts to sabotage Georgian democracy, violently attack peaceful protesters, and derail Georgia’s chosen Euro-Atlantic path,” the Commission wrote on X.

Georgian politician Bachuki Kardava died at the age of 54, the family reported. Bachuki Kardava was Chair of the National-Democratic Party. Since 2020, he had been an MP of the 10th Convocation Parliament from the party list of electoral bloc United National Movement – United Opposition, Power is in Unity.

Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Change slammed opposition parties for not rejecting state funding they received based on election results. “They called for strikes, not paying taxes, not going to work and shutting plants, and finally they did not renounce financing they received based on fabricated figures and forged election outcomes,” said Nika Gvaramia. Seven political unions will receive funding based on the results of the parliamentary elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on December 26. In accordance with the legislation, based on the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections, from November 26, the second day after the newly elected parliament was recognized as having powers, the following seven political unions have gained the right to receive state funding: Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia; United National Movement; Coalition for Change – Gvaramia Melia Girchi Droa; Gakharia for Georgia; Lelo for Georgia; Alliance of Patriots of Georgia; New Political Center – Girchi. According to the CEC, the Coalition for Change – Gvaramia Melia Girchi Droa refused to receive funding.