Mamuka Khazaradze, one of the leaders of Lelo – Strong Georgia, said that Bidzina Ivanishvili and the ruling “Georgian Dream” are in “serious panic,” claiming the government’s accusations against opposition figures are politically motivated and “absurd.”

Khazaradze made the statement after being questioned at the Prosecutor’s Office, where he was charged under Article 318 of the Criminal Code – sabotage.

“Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream are in panic. I was accused of such absurdities as organizing a crime on Rustaveli, making a Molotov cocktail, and blowing up a car. If something can be imagined in a sick head, it’s written into this stupid accusation. I want to address them: no matter what you do, you cannot stop freedom of speech in Georgia, you cannot kill the political process, and you cannot take democracy away from the Georgian people,” Khazaradze said.

Khazaradze said his party would continue its struggle “within the legal framework,” even though, as he put it, “we do not have a court and justice in this country.”

“During last year’s demonstrations, the so-called ‘Offshore Law’ was adopted, through which Bidzina Ivanishvili took 400 million from the country’s budget. Now a similar uproar is happening around Arab investment. Around 9 million square meters of land in Batumi and Tbilisi had been transferred to Arab investors. We demand that this agreement be made public so that Georgian society can see the scale of the affair we are dealing with,” Khazaradze stated.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia announced that criminal prosecution had been initiated against Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nikanor Melia, Zurab Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze.

Khazaradze and Japaridze were charged under Part 1 of Article 318 – sabotage, with the prosecution requesting bail as a preventive measure.