**Opposition Figure Arrested in Georgia**
The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) has arrested Lasha Tsanava, a member of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party. Tsanava is accused of deceiving a foreign national and taking money in exchange for promising to secure a residence permit in Georgia.
According to Emzar Gagnidze, head of the SSSG’s Anti-Corruption Agency, Tsanava promised a foreign national a one-year residence permit in exchange for $5,600. He received part of the money in May and then began pressuring the foreign national to pay the remaining amount. Ultimately, Tsanava “appropriated through deception” $2,650.
The SSSG official said that the investigation involved covert operations, during which relevant audio and video evidence of the alleged crime was obtained. The agency released recordings showing a man with his face blurred, allegedly Tsanava, negotiating the payment amount and receiving money in exchange for securing necessary documents for the foreign national.
Tsanava is being tried for attempted fraud “causing substantial damage,” a charge that carries a prison sentence of four to seven years under Georgia’s Criminal Code. The UNM party has yet to issue an official statement regarding Tsanava’s arrest, but some party members have described the arrest as a “provocation.”
**Political Tensions**
The arrest comes amid rising tensions between the opposition and the government in Georgia. Earlier this month, ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili warned that the State Security Service planned a “big provocation” to accuse the UNM of an armed coup attempt.
UNM Chair Tinatin Bokuchava echoed Saakashvili’s warning, saying that the SSSG’s announcement of Tsanava’s arrest was linked to the party’s growing popularity. The opposition has accused the government of using the State Security Service to silence its leaders and activists.
**Background**
Lasha Tsanava is a former policeman who has served as Levan Khabeishvili’s assistant. He was charged last year with exceeding official powers through the use of violence during the dispersal of a rally near a Tbilisi police division in 2009. Tsanava had said that the case was politically motivated.
The arrest of Lasha Tsanava has sparked concerns about the use of law enforcement agencies to target opposition figures and silence dissenting voices in Georgia.
