“The spectacular fall of Georgia’s former Prime Minister, accused of keeping $6.5 million in his apartment,” reads the title of an article published by the BBC.
“Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili appeared in court on charges of money laundering. This marks a shocking turn of events for one of the most loyal allies of Georgia’s de facto leader, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. He pleaded guilty to corruption charges, which carry a penalty of up to 12 years in prison. He was granted bail of 1 million GEL,” the article states.
According to the article, “The charges against the former Prime Minister are the latest in a series of arrests of former government officials.”
“However, the case against Gharibashvili is the first legal action taken against a high-ranking member of Georgia’s ruling elite, and it comes against the backdrop of the ruling party’s shift away from the West toward an authoritarian course,” the article notes.
The outlet writes that “this corruption case represents a dramatic fall for a politician who, before entering politics, worked in Ivanishvili’s companies until 2011.”
“In 2014, he signed an association agreement with the European Union. However, in recent years, he has led Georgia’s drift away from the EU. He established close ties with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and claimed that one of the main reasons for the war in Ukraine was NATO’s expansion,” the article states.
BBC publishes an article about Irakli Gharibashvili titled: The spectacular fall of Georgia’s former Prime Minister, accused of keeping $6.5 million in his apartment
