“Great Britain continues to shelter Davit Kezerashvili, who first looted the Georgian army and then defrauded European pensioners. This illicit wealth is still being used to destabilize Georgia, raising serious suspicions about the deals that may underpin his freedom,” writes Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on social media.

Papuashvili’s remarks come in response to the United Kingdom’s recent decision to add four more Georgian citizens to its sanctions list.

In his Facebook post, he also addresses an interview given by the British Ambassador just days before the parliamentary elections.

“Just days before the elections, during the critical final phase of the campaign, the British Ambassador granted an extensive interview to a media outlet, dedicating the entirety of it to campaigning against the Georgian government. This constitutes interference in our internal affairs and participation in the election process, violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Such actions not only breach the Vienna Convention but also reflect a blatant disregard for diplomatic professionalism.

Despite this overt interference in the election, or perhaps because of it, a record number of voters turned out on October 26 to assert that they will not be underestimated and will not allow anyone to look down upon them.

We made this clear to Soviet Moscow on April 9, 1989, and reiterated it on October 26, 2024, for all those capitals attempting to replace Moscow in our lives. On that date, both the United National Movement and its foreign political sponsors, bureaucrats, and diplomats faced defeat. The futile gestures of protest after the elections further confirm this.

Concerning the sanctions: Great Britain still shelters Davit Kezerashvili, an international criminal who, through corrupt dealings, first looted the Georgian army and then exploited European pensioners. This dirty money continues to be funnelled into efforts to destabilize Georgia, raising doubts about the deals that may be facilitating his impunity,” concludes Shalva Papuashvili.