MP Machavariani agrees: Saakashvili is no political prisoner, and NGOs are ‘grant-guzzlers’

“The only instance where I agree with Saakashvili is when he called non-governmental organisations ‘grant-guzzlers’,” declared parliamentary majority member, MP Levan Machavariani.

Machavariani added that he also finds common ground with the NGO sector regarding their stance that Mikheil Saakashvili cannot be considered a political prisoner.

“Both points are true: NGOs are indeed ‘grant-guzzlers’, and Mikheil Saakashvili is certainly not a political prisoner.

Wealthy NGOs spread falsehoods, and claiming that Saakashvili is a politically persecuted figure is pure audacity. 99% of what else they disseminate is equally audacious; however, everyone knows Saakashvili is no political prisoner, starting with his own supporters.

They likely figure that avoiding such blatant falsehoods might make them appear slightly more credible, but simply omitting Saakashvili from their statements will not convince the public to believe the rest of their claims,” Levan Machavariani stated.

This comes following statements made on social media by former President Mikheil Saakashvili on July 22, in which he wrote: “In an utterly shameful move, Transparency International Georgia has left me off their list of political prisoners in my fifth year of captivity. I hope honest NGOs will emerge to speak out against this injustice.”

On July 23, Saakashvili posted a further comment, adding: “A segment of these NGOs has long been disconnected from the people, which is why they have zero traction among the public. I am categorically opposed to the harassment or banning of NGOs, but I also know with certainty that the public as a whole will not go out of its way to defend them for the reasons listed above.”