For Georgia’s Sharashidze: Corruption is a malady with rare exceptions even in the United States

“Corruption is unacceptable in any nation, but unfortunately, it remains a malady with exceptions even in countries like the United States,” declared MP Giorgi Sharashidze, member of the Gakharia For Georgia party.

Sharashidze was asked to comment on an investigative report published by ProPublica, which alleged that the FBI had probed prospective corruption deals involving Senator Lindsey Graham alongside Congressmen James Clyburn and Joe Wilson.

The lawmaker noted that substantive discussions could only occur once the allegations were formally verified.

“What you are referring to appears, at this stage, to be information reported by a single media outlet. A responsible politician ought not to comment on such matters until the information and its credibility are fully established,” Sharashidze noted.

“If verified, corruption is naturally intolerable in any country. Regrettably, however, it is a scourge that occasionally surfaces even in nations like the United States. But unlike in Georgia, where Georgian Dream has transformed corruption into a systemic practice, plunging the nation into a swamp of institutionalised political corruption, in democratic states like America, anyone involved in even minor misconduct faces severe punishment.

Let us await verification of these claims before concluding. Broadly speaking, lobbying is legally permitted. As for statements made regarding Georgia, including those by Joe Wilson, I would be loath to believe anyone in the US Congress acts purely out of commercial lobbying interests,” Sharashidze added.