MP Levan Machavariani: Dismaying to see a former leader sink so low
“It is deeply regrettable to see a former leader of our party sink to such depths; had I not known that Garibashvili had authored that letter, I would have assumed that Saakashvili or Eliso Kiladze wrote it. So low-grade is this behaviour,” Georgian Dream MP Levan Machavariani stated in response to the latest letter published by former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
According to Machavariani, law enforcement seized several million in cash and gold bullion from Garibashvili’s residence, charges to which he himself confessed; yet he now publishes incomprehensible letters claiming total innocence.
“It is immensely disappointing to witness a former Prime Minister politicising a purely legal matter. We all saw the footage broadcast live: millions were seized from his home, including gold bullion, and he personally confessed to it all. Now, in these bizarre letters, he claims he was guilty of nothing after all. Regrettably, yesterday we witnessed yet another piece of delusional nonsense. No one buys these fairytales. To see a former leader of our team drop to such a level is truly disheartening. It is such low conduct that, had I not known it was Garibashvili’s letter, I would have thought that Saakashvili or Eliso Kiladze penned it.
I have no idea whose instructions he is acting on. The only thing I know for certain is that his initial letter was tied to the corruption charges he was already aware of; consequently, he tried to politicise the issue to cover himself, which is entirely unacceptable. This is exceptionally low-level behaviour. When you turn against your own team with fabricated tall tales that presumably no one believes, it makes for a deeply painful spectacle.
The whole thing has descended into a cheap theatrical farce; it is thoroughly debased behaviour. One certainly did not expect this from him; he has effectively stooped to Saakashvili’s level. It is heart-wrenching when a former leader of your party falls this far. It is disheartening for any public official, given that Irakli Garibashvili was a former Prime Minister. Naturally, we are all aggrieved by the crime he committed. It was a severe blow to our team. It was painful for us, but of course, we could not offer him immunity. We proved that team membership does not mean you can commit crimes and go unpunished. But what has followed- this direct descent to the level of Eliso Kiladze and Asaval-Dasavali tabloid journalism- is, of course, even more painful,” Levan Machavariani stated.