“Today, I see how our companion, Levan Kipiani, has been abandoned; he stood with us, unlike the people that I see today in the political elite,” Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili said.

“Sacrificing an old companion will not bring any good. . . .  Levan was my colleague when we were members of the Cabinet of Ministers. It is unacceptable to sacrifice an old companion. Everyone should have the right and hope that he/she will not be abandoned by companions,” President said.

He recalled former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili’s admission and the debate related to that issue. “I was in the opposition then and my main arguments during the debate with the National Movement were the arguments that were soon named as systemic crime and systemic violence,” said the President.

On October 3, Levan Kipiani, former Sports Minister admitted that he had participated in a performance staged by Zaza Okuashvili, Founder and owner of the Omega Group. Kipiani said that Okuashvili needed the ‘staged scenario’ to settle relations with foreign partners.

On October 4, Levan Samkharauli National Forensic Bureau published the conclusion about the audio recordings of a conversation between Levan Kipiani, former sports minister and Zaza Okuashvili, founder and owner of Omega Group released through the media, and said that the recordings are not authentic and are produced through editing method.