Irakli Garibashvili publishes another letter: You are committing evil—be careful

“There are questions in society regarding my imprisonment, and many vague versions and speculations are circulating. In my previous letters, I partially explained and hinted at the main motive, but I have decided to elaborate further on this issue and explain to the public the real reason why I was sent to prison. The main purpose and motive behind my arrest was and remains to politically neutralize me, damage and discredit my name and reputation among the public, and ultimately destroy my political future,” former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili wrote in his latest letter published on Facebook.

According to Garibashvili, everything that has been carried out against him is politically motivated and has nothing to do with a legal process.

As Garibashvili wrote, he is currently in prison because of “absurd suspicions, fears and envy.”

“After they committed an unimaginable act of dishonesty, set a dirty trap for me, broke their word, violated the agreement and stormed into my home, I was given a message that same day: ‘You will not come out clean; you must forget about politics.’ This was accompanied by a promise: ‘Not a single day in prison, a multi-year suspended sentence and a fine.’ Once again, I was deceived.

On January 4, I was unexpectedly informed that the terms had changed and that I would have to go to prison for five years. I had already pleaded guilty, had been released on bail and was waiting for the plea agreement to be concluded under the promised terms.

As I have already explained to the public in my letters, because of my 20-year relationship with Bidzina Ivanishvili and my attitude toward him, I went silently to the political slaughterhouse and went to prison because I did not want to enter into confrontation. In doing so, I made a sacrifice and also protected the team and the country. In return, I was deceived for the third time.

In February, when communication was established through a mediator, the main message from the authorities, apart from the newspaper, was as follows: my arrest had damaged the authorities more than it had damaged me. I realized that they were setting me up and preparing another dirty provocation. The reason was clear — they had failed to discredit me sufficiently in the eyes of the public and had not achieved the effect they expected from my arrest and the accompanying propaganda.

After that, there was no communication until July. As is already known to the public, they unexpectedly sent me a letter with new terms, while verbally, through a mediator, they conveyed that my arrest had seriously damaged the authorities, while my reputation had not suffered significant harm.

Public sympathy toward me had increased, particularly among Georgian Dream voters, especially against the background that dozens of people convicted in the case concerning the overthrow of the government had been released with suspended sentences. It was incomprehensible and inexplicable to the public why I was being kept in prison for five years, since I had pleaded guilty, the damage had been compensated, there were no injured parties, and I had also paid the fine. Therefore, my imprisonment had become a burden for the authorities.

This was compounded by irrational suspicions and fears that I might return to politics after leaving prison. For this reason, they demanded that I admit to a new, fabricated corruption charge, so that, on the one hand, my name would be completely destroyed and, on the other, the risks of my returning to politics would be further mitigated.

Therefore, my imprisonment was political from beginning to end, from the very first day, and everything that was carried out against me was politically motivated and had nothing to do with a legal process. I am in prison today because of absurd suspicions, fears and envy, which is unimaginable injustice and evil against me and my family.

Over the past two weeks, the authorities’ false and dirty propaganda has continued its campaign to discredit me using ridiculous and feeble methods, driven solely by fear. I have also heard hypocritical and false statements from government representatives, to which I would like to respond as follows: Apparently, you are having a great time and have gotten into your roles. Do not be hypocritical! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then talk about corruption. The public knows very well that this is a complete farce and an insult to our society.

With these ridiculous and malicious performances, you have insulted state institutions and made them objects of ridicule both inside and outside the country; you have given domestic and external enemies arguments to use and, most importantly, inflicted enormous and irreparable damage on your own country, the government and the ruling party itself.

Through your reckless policies and actions, you have plunged the country into continuous chaos and an endless crisis, confused even your own voters, embittered people and families, and created among the public a fear of hopelessness, instability and an unpredictable future. You are already following Saakashvili’s path and bringing back the methods of governance used by the United National Movement.

You are doing evil. Be careful!” Garibashvili wrote.